Presented by Mulwade Foundation
Created and performed by Alexis Gregory
Directed by Rikki-Beadle Blair
‘You cant tell people how to have sex’.
‘You have a virus….there is no cure….but there will be palliative care’. I’m thirty-three years old’.
‘When you put all this together, and a tina pipe in front of you…..it’s the perfect storm for the community’
Three new characters. Three new life-stories. Three new rollercoaster rides.
RIOT/ACT 2 is created, verbatim, from playwright and performer Alexis Gregory’s interviews with three extraordinary real life figures; Dr Joseph Sonnabend; one of the first people to ‘discover’ the AIDS virus, long-term HIV survivor Jonathan Blake; one of the first to be diagnosed in the UK, and activist Ignacio Labayen De Inza, exploring the modern queer chemsex pandemic.
Presented by HIV and AIDS charity Mulwade Foundation, this stand-alone companion piece to the original show, is a a raw, epic, provocative, vivid, and brutally honest trip through six decades of queer life, love, loss, art, science, sex, cruising, drugs, family, the pursuit of pleasure, and the way in which we remember.
The widely acclaimed original RIOT ACT appeared in the West End, throughout London, toured the UK multiple times, is translated for international performance, published by Bloomsbury Publishing, with the screen adaption receiving cinema screenings and currently streaming online via Broadway on Demand and Marquee TV. This latest instalment takes the concept to an exciting new level. RIOT/ACT 2 is presented by, and especially created for, Mulwade Foundation, who provide support and empowerment for those affected by HIV/AIDS in London.
20 x Early Bird tickets available until October 31st
Work in progress preview performance (part script-in-hand)
Doors: 7.30pm / Show: 8pm
Age limit: 16 years plus. Contains adult language and themes including; sex, grief, drug misuse, sexual assault.
Running time: 70 mins approx
RIOT/ACT 2 portrait: Eivind Hansen
Praise for the original RIOT ACT includes:
Top Picks: Evening Standard, Metro, Attitude, i-D Magazine.
‘Riot Act is at once frank, warm and uninhibited…a forceful reminder of the importance of knowing your history’ - Evening Standard
‘This stand out piece of theatre will become part of LGBT cultural heritage…a career defining performance’ - Attitude Magazine
‘Queer theatre doesn’t get more essential’ - Metro
‘Verbatim theatre at its best...Gregory; a powerful presence, shows fierce awareness of his theatrical and political context’ - The Stage
‘Powerful…passionate…anchored by a compelling performance…sensitively directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair….Gregory utterly inhabits his characters’ - Exuent Magazine
‘Performed with honesty, authenticity and respect…unforgettable’ - A Younger Theatre
‘One of the most moving pieces of new queer writing in London…mesmerising’ - The Spy In The Stalls
'A moving experience…brilliant’ - Queer Review
‘A compelling account of gay rights activism’ - Gay Times
‘Theatre at its simplest and at its best’ - British Theatre Guide
‘A masterclass…absolutely riveting’ - Queer Guru
‘Gregory gives a masterful performance under director Rikki Beadle-Blair…a powerful and important piece of verbatim theatre…fascinating’ - Britishtheatre.com
‘Achieves ambitious levels of storytelling…an eye opening punch to the gut’ - Broadway World
ACCESS INFO
Unfortunately, both floors of The Divine are not currently accessible as we do not have a lift.
- The ground floor, main bar of The Divine has level access.
- There is an accessible toilet in the main bar.
- The cabaret and club space are in the basement of the venue. There is no lift.
- There are 17 wide steps down to the basement with handrails on either side, this is where the show will take place.
- There are two sets of gender-neutral toilets downstairs, they are not wide enough for wheelchairs.
If you need further information, please refer to The Divine ‘About’ page on the website. www.thedivine.co.uk or email us direct on info@thedivine.co.uk