producer

“You say to yourself with a bit of a smirk, ‘I would have been on the right side of history’”

The Chorus are eleven people, of ages spanning five decades and ethnic heritages crossing ten different countries but all citizens of Birmingham and all British. They reflect on the times they’ve felt oppressed, injustices they’ve witnessed and events that have shaken and divided their city and the nation. This engaging and evocative podcast touches on racial injustice, sexual harassment and what it means to be British today. Reflecting on images taken at race riots in the US and in Birmingham they ask what they can do to make change and whether they will be “on the right side of history”.

This is one part of The Chorus Project, an international collaboration with theatre companies across Europe creating new work inspired by the themes of The Oresteia. It continues the work Upstart Theatre started with Birmingham residents when we made Beneath the City, a play about a woman’s quest for justice after her brother dies in prison. Beneath the City was presented at Birmingham REP in January 2020 and was due to be presented at festivals across Europe alongside work from our international partners at the end of the year. As Covid-19 precautions have severely limited our ability to present live work, we decided to create an audio piece which would continue our exploration of the themes of The Oresteia; Justice, retaliation, moral responsibility and revenge.

The Chorus: An Audio Experience premiered on Brum Radio on Tuesday 6th October 2020. It is available to listen to online here or via The Chorus Project podcast, wherever you get your podcasts. Transcripts in English, German and Macedonian are also available via Upstart’s website.

Co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union and Arts Council England.

FEATURING & CO-CREATED BY

Denise Norton
Linda Hisgett
Eddie Nelson
Melanie Distin
Eleanor Lawson
Niamh Elcock
Gordon Elcock
Sharon Walcott
Jane Winder
Toqueer Quyyam
Kerry Frater

CREATIVE TEAM

Artistic Director: Tom Mansfield
Sound Designer & Composer: Duncan Grimley
Executive Producer: Emma Sampson
Producer: Hannah Tookey