‘Not all those who wonder are lost’ and ‘Discover After Dark’ are slogans that describe a typical Midnight Run, an event pioneered and hosted by award winning poet, playwright and performer Inua Ellams that gathers complete strangers to play, walk, explore and reclaim the streets and hidden spaces in cities.
This Midnight Run in collaboration with Bush Theatre, will begin at the theatre at 5.45pm and explore the surrounding neighbourhoods, basketball courts, playgrounds, courtyards and parks until midnight. ‘Participants’ are advised to dress for the weather, bring a pen, money for food and above all a healthy sense of adventure. In the motto below, ‘star’ can be taken literally or as a metaphor for city dwellers, where it takes on a beauty and importance:
The Midnight Run
Cause we can’t see stars for fumes
we turn to smashed glass, believing
shards shine like constellations do.
As always the run features artists local to the area and we have:
Filmmaker: Nathan David Bryon
Poet: Yrsa Daley-Ward
Photographer: Yasmin Akim
Theatre: Jamie Rocha Allan
Historian: Rudy Perkins
Inua Ellams is a poet and a playwright. He began the Midnight Run in 2005 after a bus failed to arrive on time. Choosing to walk the bus route, he discovered the tranquility of the city and night and wished to share the experience with other urban. The rest, is history.
DATES AND DETAILS
Friday 15 November, 5.45pm, £8 (£6 concessions)
Inua Ellams was born in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria in 1984. He works as an internationally touring poet, playwright and performer. His published books of poetry and plays include ‘Thirteen Fairy Negro Tales’, ‘The 14th Tale’ ‘Candy Coated Unicorns and Converse All Stars’ and ‘Black T-Shirt Collection’. He passionately believes in Apple Juice. He describes himself as an immigrant – nationally, internationally, digitally & artistically and these various gave rise to the Midnight Run – and event in which he combines his search for place and belonging with performance arts and “audience participation”. To date, he has held Midnight Runs in Milan, Florence, Barcelona, Manchester and London, with runs planned for Paris and Rome in 2014. In July 2013, he was invited to give a TEDx Presentation about the Midnight Run. (http://youtu.be/xEG0V7ahGKk.) Currently, he is working on a new poetry pamphlet and a first full collection, plays for various theatres, and recruiting a team to expand the global possibilities and reach of The Midnight Run.
