RISE Festival, 15th February 2025. Studio Theatre at Chickenshed, 290 Chase Side, London, 4☆☆☆☆. Review: Mary-Ellen Dyson.
Photo Credit: Chickenshed
RISE Festival, 15th February 2025. Studio Theatre at Chickenshed, 290 Chase Side, London,
4☆☆☆☆. Review: Mary-Ellen Dyson.
“Plenty of undiscovered young talent on display.”
Chickenshed’s RISE Festival gives young, up-and-coming creatives an opportunity to showcase their talents. 2025’s Festival featured eight works-in-progress at different stages of development: some shows felt complete, others contained a few fragments of scenes. It was a really enjoyable opportunity to experience a wide range of theatre.
The highlight of the festival was “Burn the Witch”, created and performed by Sophie White. Her performance was entirely convincing. The character felt so real, and filled the space. I was utterly captivated for the full half hour. Whilst watching her, I was so compelled that I even forgot that I was supposed to be reviewing! If there is a further opportunity to see “Burn the Witch”, I would thoroughly recommend it. Sophie White is one to watch.
RISE 2025 featured really varied performances. I will comment on a selection.
“Food for Thought”, created by Alex Brennan and performed with Anna Listo-Rees, was an intriguing performance in the early stages of development, tackling grief and relationships. I am really curious to see where they take this story next. The music was a highlight, and I would really like to hear more from this composer. The actors had chemistry and their relationship was convincing, which is no mean feat! There is a lot of potential in the extracts on display, and I look forward to seeing how this show develops.
“Strong and Sharp”, created by Ash Driver, directed with Mabel Brooker, and performed by Milo Peskin, Angel Mboyo, Paul Harris, Alex Tyler, Joshua Merrick and Matteo Morris, was a play telling the story of Jonathan Strong and Granville Sharp, whose case set the legal precedent that there can be no slavery in Britain. It was an interesting story and I was surprised that I had not heard it before. I feel that the heart of the tale lies within the relationship between Jonathan and Granville, and that a longer play could draw this out much more and create a really engaging experience. This play is well worth developing further.
“An Introduction to Hip-Hop”, created by Asher Reuben and performed with Shiloh Maersk, Millie Arnold, Balthazar Oliver and Lenny Goodman, was fun, energetic and fully engaged the audience. I now feel as though I have been introduced to hip-hop, so I think the show achieved its aim! It was impressive watching the dancing up close, where the physical strength of the dancers becomes so apparent. This is an entertaining watch.
This is the second RISE Festival that Chickenshed has run. If there is another, and I hope that there will be, then I would recommend it to anyone hoping to find undiscovered young talent. There was plenty on display. And, if you get the chance, go to see “Burn the Witch”!
“Burn the Witch”
Written and performed by – Sophie White
“Food For Thought”
Written by – Alex Brennan
Performed by – Alex Brennan and Anna Listo-Rees
“Strong and Sharp”
Written by – Ash Driver
Directed by – Ash Driver and Mabel Brooker
Performed by – Milo Peskin, Angel Mboyo, Paul Harris, Alex Tyler, Joshua Merrick and Matteo Morris
“An Introduction to Hip-Hop”
Created by – Asher Reuben
Performed by – Asher Reuben, Shiloh Maersk, Millie Arnold, Balthazar Oliver, Lenny Goodman
“The Rule Book to Society”
Written and performed by – Hannah Whitfield
“Breaking the Silence”
Written by – Lucina Rigobert
Performed by – Lucina Rigobert, Frankie Leigh-Bonura, Morgyn Turray, Sean Baradhi, Vittorio Maletta, Saffire Ellis-Jane
“The Unofficial UK Field Guide”
Written by – Ammar Awad and Seb Ross
“Prism” (not seen by this reviewer)
Created by – Hector Dogliani and Kayako Harris
Performed by – Angie Pascall, Ginny Willow, Ellie Carroll, Sienna De Silva, Thomas Pope, Thomas Langton, Harvey Thompson, Shiloh Maersk, Olive Fry, Maya Nielsen