Lyn's Picks: Aug 22

I, Joan (Globe)

The multi-talented Charlie Josephine—author of Bitch Boxer and a memorable Mercutio for the RSC—returns to the Globe, where she appeared in Metamorphoses in The Sam Wanamaker—with a new take on the story of the peasant girl who led an army, Joan of Arc. There has already been a terrific version of this story, Joan, questioning gender binary assumptions and expectations from Milk Presents, but there is always room for more stories that bill themselves as “alive, queer and full of hope.”

From Peaceophobia, part of the GDIF 2022 line-up.

Greenwich + Docklands International Festival (Various venues and sites)

The natural phenomenon of fireflies provides the inspiration for Spark, the opening show in this year’s Greenwich + Docklands International Festival. The festival also includes the first London showing of Common Wealth’s Peaceophobia, a show which premiered to acclaim in Bradford and which brings together Islamophobia and the subculture of modified car enthusiasts. If you missed Tara Theatre’s Final Farewell first time round there’s a chance to catch this eulogy to pandemic loss, and look out for Fevered Sleep’s audio artwork, The Sky is Filled with Thunder, made with children and young people. This is a festival which always throws up brilliant surprises and many events are free.

Follow the Signs (Soho)

As a child, dancer and choreographer Chris Fonseca lost his hearing when he contracted meningitis. For a long time as a black deaf child growing up, he felt his difference keenly. Then he discovered music and dance. This hip-hop gig theatre show comes fully BSL integrated and tells Fonseca’s story as it celebrates identity, dance, music and being yourself in a world that tries to exclude you.

Cover image from Follow the Signs at Soho Theatre.