Three bold Wiganers are taking to the stage and asking local people to take a long, hard look at them.
Joyce Josiah, 26, Zha Olurankinse, 25, and Shaun Fallows, 39, all appear in a new stereotype-busting show, which aims to make audiences question their prejudices.
Called What Do You See?, the performance uses humour, music, storytelling and movement to pick apart some of the assumptions we all hold about disability, race, age, sexual orientation and gender.
The show, which is produced by The Old Courts, Wigan, asks the audience to recognise the preconceptions they may hold about people – their unconscious biases – based simply on how they appear.
The three Wigan performers have spent two weeks working with Black-led physical theatre company The PappyShow to produce a unique version of touring show What Do You See? which has a special Wigan twist. The cast of the show evolves as it tours, creating a fresh piece of work with a local feel each time.
During the production, the three performers take to the stage as part of a cast of eight. They play themselves and use their platform to talk candidly about how people see them and who they really are.
Zha, Shaun and Joyce say people regularly make snap judgements about them because of what they see.
Shaun, who lives in Newtown, says that people see the chair before they see him. He said: “When people look at me, they see a guy who uses a wheelchair, and that’s the first thing they think about. They don’t realise I’m funny. They would never guess I write poetry. They probably think my life is really boring and narrow.
“They would have no idea that I perform at open mic nights, or enjoy catching the Eurostar to the Netherlands to visit my friend.”
Zha, a Hawkley Hall musician who performs around Wigan as Zha Olu, said: “Being part of LGBTQ+ community is very important to me. Growing up I probably had a lot of internalised homophobia, so it is a very big step to be proud of who I am.
“When you first come out and start to tell people about sexuality or gender you can feel it’s your everything and it’s all that person sees when they look at you. But I want to be seen as a whole human being.
“This show is going to open people’s eyes. Audiences should expect to have their mindsets questioned in a really positive way. They should expect a lot of fun and playfulness as we challenge people with humour.”
London-based The PappyShow is known for creating diverse and collaborative productions that explore the identities and the lived experience of the people they work with. The cast of What Do You See? also includes street dancer and performer Bailey ‘Flashy9Chainz’ Thaw, Nathaniel Ricketts, actor/musician Lydia Crosher, actor and filmmaker Craig Talbot and actor Helena Pipe.
Kane Husbands, artistic director, The PappyShow said: “What Do You See? Is a production about unconscious bias, stereotyping and identity. It deep dives into the assumptions we might make about people, many of which we may not realise we have.
“It explores these assumptions by asking the audience ‘What do you see when you look at us?’ Although this show deals with some serious themes, it’s packed with joy, colour and intelligent humour.”
Bethan Ellis, projects officer, The Old Courts, Wigan, said: “What Do You See? is our third and final project in a series looking at new ways to create theatre with and for local diverse communities.
“Working with The PappyShow team has been an amazing experience for everyone and audiences can expect to leave looking at the world through a very different lens.
“We are very grateful to our friends at Turnpike Gallery who offered their wheelchair accessible venue free of charge for these performances.”
Katrina Houghton, lead officer- arts, Wigan Council, said: “The Turnpike Gallery has built its legacy on offering an inclusive and accessible space for creative collaboration with our communities, platforming diverse voices and nurturing new connections across the borough.
“We are looking forward to sharing these mutual values with The Old Courts and The PappyShow as they develop a Wigan version of their theatre production What Do You See? in the heart of Leigh. We are particularly excited to see how the project will uncover new perspectives and stories from within our communities, unlocking a valuable new heritage and bringing local people together through meaningful cultural experience”.
What Do You See? is the third annual project in a series called Moving Roots. Moving Roots is a collaboration between The Old Courts, Wigan, Battersea Arts Centre, Restoke (Stoke-on-Trent), Jumped Up Theatre (Peterborough) and Common Wealth (Cardiff).
What Do You See? by The PappyShow will be at Turnpike Gallery, Leigh on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 March at 7pm. A Q&A with director Kane Husbands will follow. Both performances and the post-show discussions are BSL interpreted and the venue is accessible to wheelchair users. The show deals with adult themes, has loud music and flashing lights and isn’t suitable for really young children.
Tickets are £5.40
