Audience reviews for
KNOCK DOWN, PECKHAM
“It made me think how precious a gift community is and the ability to express it.”
“An experience outside of mine. A nuanced window into growing up mixed race in England. Insightful & creative.”
“Quality. Strong. Felt proud to be from here. Really from here.”
“What did I take away? A sense of pride in where they’ve all originated & also the extent of clinging onto roots in Nigeria particularly. It highlighted the pain of leaving culture behind.”
“The physicality of feeling Peckham, seeing Peckham and hearing it’s stories.”
“It made me feel like there are still a lot of born and raised Londoners keeping the spirit of London alive through art, even if the buildings and streets look different now!”
“An adventure. An education. A shared journey. Madly important work.”
“Powerful. Expressive. Entertaining. Moving. Emotional.”
“Interesting stories of migration: to / from Peckham / Africa / Nigeria / South London.”
“Great to move around and soak up the ‘Peckham vibes’ in between beautiful writing and powerful performances. Made me feel more connected to my community.”
Bola Agbaje
Peckham Palms
Bola graduated from the young writers programme at the Royal Court in 2007. Her first play GONE TOO FAR! was selected to be performed as part of the Young Writer Festival and was performed at the Royal Court Theatre (Upstairs) in February 2007. In 2008 the play won the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliated Theatre. The play was revived in 2008 and returned for a run in the main Downstairs space at the Court, as well as at the Hackney Empire and Albany Theatre. Bola was also nominated for the Evening Standard Most Promising Playwright of the Year in 2008.
Bola's writing has been presented by the Royal Court Theatre, ATC, Tiata Fahodzi, Hampstead Theatre, Soho Theatre, Young Vic, Talawa and Cardboard Citizens to name a few.
Bola’s screenplay adaptation of GONE TOO FAR! (produced by Poisson Rouge Pictures and the BFI) premiered at the London Film Festival in 2013 and was released in 2014.
Bola is currently under commission to the National Youth Theatre and Synergy Theatre Project.
Chisara Agor
Delta Tavern Kitchen
Ever-shifting environments, constantly (r)evolving juxtapositions of experience, are recurring themes in much of Chisara Agor’s art. It’s a fitting focus for their expansive, multidisciplinary practice, which originates in part from her creative education at a local theatre in Peckham. From a young age, Agor learned to act, sing, play, dance and write simultaneously. Their work spans the music, film, theatre and visual art world. While an actor/performer, composer and visual artist core to their practice is philosophical enquiry and a desire to create works that inspire conversation, reflection and critique. From society, to politics, to how we find joy, Chisara's work is as much about the world around them as it is their own personal interpretation of it. Currently on the cusp of releasing their new EP Shadows And Searchlights, Chisara is also developing a musical: The Garden a project that follows the journey of a teenage girl as she grapples with the death of her father, divergence with her mother, and the conflict between residents and developers of her south London estate. Written with an afro-folk electronic soundtrack blending spirituality, nature and regeneration.
Daniel Oduntan
BPW Connection Centre
Daniel Oduntan is an interdisciplinary media artist conceptional occupying the spaces between visual arts, sound and performance media. His polymath approach to creativity has led him in recent years to explore the politics of sound archives, the power of imagery and methods of accessibility for black creatives through participatory design. Producing cross-disciplined art, editorials and commissions for the likes of the V&A Museum, Warp Records, Publicis London and the Design Museum.
Saffia Kavaz
Sage Flowers
Saffia Kavaz is a writer, performer and spoken word artist from South East London. Saffia trained at The BRIT School and is a young associate of The Gate Theatre. They have staged work at Theatre Peckham, Lyric Hammersmith, The Pleasance and Battersea Arts Centre. In 2019 Saffia was selected as an Ovalhouse Young Associate Artist, debuting their play I AM (As part of FiRST BiTES). Saffia strives to tell stories which platform queer and working-class voices through multidisciplinary art forms.
Kelechi Okafor
BPW Connection Centre
Kelechi Okafor studied at the BRIT School of performing arts specialising in Musical Theatre and English Literature. Kelechi went on to university to study a BA in Drama and Theatre Studies with Law.
Kelechi has built a career as a formidable personal trainer, actor, dance innovator, pole dance teacher and successful dance studio owner. In 2018 Kelechi won Fitness Queen of the Year at the Precious Lifestyle Awards, followed by two Screen Nation awards in 2019 for Best Podcast and Best Social Media Personality.
Kelechi has been partnering with many prestigious organisations and individuals both in the United Kingdom and internationally and is known for speaking at events on important global and local topical issues. Credible, engaging, and inspirational, Kelechi can discuss even the most sensitive topics with her audience in a way that is truthful, entertaining but also educational.
Kelechi has multifaceted knowledge in equality, anti-racism, and diversity, ‘’cancel culture’’ and other contemporary topics and offers a high-energy, thought provoking and motivational approach that encourages people to adopt and consider new concepts and attitudes.
Kelechi’s irreverent persona has garnered her vast social media following of over 210k across platforms and over 1 Million downloads of her critically acclaimed podcast ‘Say Your Mind’.
Elliot Barnes-Worrell
Peckham Palms
An award-winning actor, director and writer from Peckham, South-East London. Most recently he was a writer for The Royal Court’s ‘My White Best Friend (and Other Letters Left Unsaid)’ which received 5 stars in The Guardian. He has a feature film commission from Film4 as well as projects with NBC Universal, Sky 1, House, Expanded and Heyday. As an actor he’s won the Gielgud, Alan Bates and Ian Charleson awards. As a writer-director he has been nominated for Best Short Film in 2017 and 2020 at the Screen Nation Awards. Elliot loves anime, grime music and plantain chips.
Imani-Lara Lansiquot
Delta Tavern Kitchen
Imani-Lara Lansiquot is a sprinter on the Great Britain Athletics Team. Born and raised in Peckham, she has been training towards the Olympics since the age of 13. Imani is a European and World Medalist as part of the 4x100m relay and is the fourth fastest British woman in history over the 100m.
Imani has shown her many other passions away from the track, having recently completed a degree in Psychology at Kings College London and sitting as an athlete advocate on the British Athletics equality, diversity and inclusion board.
Writing in particular is something that Imani really enjoys. She partakes in weekly workshops where group members compose poetry and prose as part of telling their stories.
Geoff Cudd (with Hugo Simms)
All Saints Church
Geoff:
Having lived in the area for approximately 40 years, my love of the community feeling became enhanced by the wonderful, dog friendly, Ivy House Community pub (of which I am a shareholder and committee member).
This also applies to our local Peckham Rye park and Common where meeting people is a great joy.
These places were also important in my taking up poetry writing late in life. This was achieved with the help of the wonderful London poet Laurie Bolger. Laurie helps to run “Bang said the Gun” at the Roebuck pub in the Borough S.E.1. This is where I won an award for the poem about my local pub.
I have since written several poems and hope to have a book published with mine and other local poets’ work included.
Hugo:
I have lived in the Peckham area for twenty years, and south east London for nearly forty years. The locale of Newlands, up around the Ivy House pub and Ivydale School, has become arguably the strongest community I have ever been part of. The pub especially has been a focus, having been drawn in by its physical loveliness and its history, particularly its musical heritage. This led me to be part of the 'Saving the Pub' effort of 2012 and being involved in various ways since then!
My creative outlets have included writing and acting on the London Fringe Theatre scene, creating immersive art installations for the Nunhead Art Trail and writing about London history - currently working on a social history story of the Peckham Rye area, with The Ivy House at its heart.