Lyn's Picks: 21 June

salt: dispersed (Battersea Arts Centre on-line)

This is a filmed version of Selina Thompson’s haunting one woman show, a piece she describes as “an act of remembrance and grief “ in which she draws upon her journey retracing the transatlantic slave triangle from Britain to Ghana to Jamaica and back. It was a journey made by millions men, women and children whose enslavement underpinned the wealth on which modern Europe was built, providing the foundations of its economic success today. This is a show in which the trauma of the past is made present, and which reminds us that the trauma continues to this day.

Shedding a Skin (Soho Theatre)

Amanda Wilkin’s play won the 2020 Verity Bargate Award and passed muster with a starry array of judges including Russell T Davies, Laura Wade, Lolita Chakrabarti and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. That should be recommendation enough for as piece about intergenerational friendship, joy and unexpected connections. Wilkin, who is also an actor, performs the play herself under the direction of Elayce Ismail. If you need any further prompting to book, Waller-Bridge, whose own career owes a great deal to Soho Theatre, described it as “funny, stark and hopeful.”

The Hooley (Chiswick House Gardens)

Who doesn’t want to run away to the circus? Here’s your chance with the only London dates for family run circus Giffords, which over the years has won a huge following for its magical shows. This one is directed by physical theatre maestro Cal McCrystal and promises faeries, trolls and Celtic music and dancing as well as favourite circus acts including clowning and Cyr wheel. You won’t get the slickness of Cirque du Soleil but you should get something more precious: a show with heart as well as skill.

Cover image from salt: dispersed.