During the pandemic, the spotlight was thrown onto the people who kept the world running while everything else stopped.
And now the Almeida Theatre’s literally giving them the spotlight, too.
For a limited four night run next week, real key workers will take to the stage alongside professional actors to perform in The Key Workers Cycle, a collection of nine short plays based on the true experiences of care workers, refuse collectors, funeral directors and others who had to keep working throughout the pandemic.
It’s all designed to shed some light on the professions which are so often overlooked. It pretty much took a global pandemic to highlight how indispensable these services are, and for people to really consider what these people do on a daily basis: the early morning and overnight shifts, the physical demands, and the mental strain.
Now that all the restrictions are lifted, The Key Workers Cycle will mark the end of these strange two years with an ode to nine different key worker roles. Each evening will showcase three different 30 minute plays – or if you go on the last day, you can book in to see all nine.
The playwrights, who include Eno Mfon, Josh Elliott, Francesca Beard and Annie Jenkins, have all spent considerable amounts of time with the professionals at the heart of their shows. Some interviewed workers to hear about their experiences; others have been working in partnership with community projects, from care homes to Clean Break (a theatre company that works with women who have experienced the criminal justice system). Many of the participants in those community groups appear on stage, alongside teachers, midwives, and delivery drivers. Altogether, a local community cast of 80 will join the actors on stage, aged between 16 and 96.
Tickets are on sale now, starting from a fiver.
Because keeping it accessible’s pretty key, too.
NOTE: The Key Workers Cycle runs at the Almeida Theatre from 9th – 12th March. Tickets cost £5-15, and you can book right HERE.
The Key Workers Cycle | Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, London N1 1TA
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