More details unveiled for Debris Stevenson’s Poet in da Corner at the Royal Court
Updated on 20 February 2019
Further details have been announced for Debris Stevenson’s semi-autobiographical show, Poet in da Corner, which opens at the Royal Court Theatre Downstairs this September. The show is an exploration on the grime music genre and the positive effects it has on the lives of young people.
Pictured: promo shot of Deborah 'Debris' Stevenson in her personal, semi-autobiographical piece, Poet in da Corner
Poet in da Corner is inspired by Dizzee Rascal’s 2003 debut album, Boy in da Corner, which was highly praised and won a Mercury Prize. Just like Stevenson, Rascal grew up in east London.
Deborah ‘Debris’ Stevenson discovered poetry at the age of 16 in the heart of Roundhouse, where words helped her to manage her dyslexia. She has been published by various organisations ranging from Oxford University and Louis Vuitton to Holland Park Press and BBC Radio’s The Verb. Her debut pamphlet, Pigeon Party, was recently published by Flipped Eye.
Stevenson has performed her poetry in all corners of the world, from the National Theatre in Zagreb to a San Francisco street corner. She is mainly engaged with the alternative narratives and vocabulary that poetry offers to those trying to overcome problems arising from identity crises, racial discrimination, education, sexuality, disabilities and mental health.
The young poet, who is a Curve Theatre associate Artist and a Jerwood Arvon Mentee and Artistic Director, has recently received a £165,000 grant to further develop the company that she founded, Mouthy Poets CIC.
Stevenson’s piece, Poet in da Corner, will feature performances from Jammz, as well as music and composition by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante. It is a co-commission between 14-18 NOW and the Royal Court, in association with the Curve, Leicester and the Nottingham Playhouse. Stevenson’s work also serves as part of the centenary celebrations for the 1918 Representation of the People Act.
Poet in da Corner is directed by Ola Ince, who most recently acted as Associate Director for Tina Turner: The Musical. Ince will be returning to the Royal Court with Debris Stevenson’s piece following her direction of White Sky in 2017.
Step inside a pirate radio station, a teenager’s bedroom and a house party as a complete outsider battles to find her inner voice. Debris Stevenson’s Poet in da Corner opens at the Royal Court Theatre on 21 September 2018 and will run until 6 October 2018.
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By Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels
Ephram is a jack of all trades and enjoys attending theatre, classical music concerts and the opera.