The play J’Ouvert premiered at Theatre503 in Battersea, South London, in 2019. It tells the story of two friends, Nadine and Jade, who must fight to find their place in a world where they thought they already belonged.
Set in the year 2017, J’Ouvert paints the scene of Notting Hill Carnival, filled with soca and colourful costumes covered in sequins and feathery layers. And through its own layers, the play reflexively analyses both the Black British experience and the sexual politics of Carnivals. Despite all the underlying tensions, Nadine and Jade battle to preserve traditions in a society that continually objectifies women’s bodies.
J’Ouvert is scheduled to be shown on BBC Four this Monday 26 April at 10pm; it will then appear on BBC iPlayer as part of BBC ‘Lights Up’, a season of plays for BBC radio and TV produced in partnership with theatres across the UK and continuing the BBC ‘Arts’ Culture in Quarantine’ initiative.
