JUMPED UP THEATRE PRESENTS…RENT PARTY, PETERBOROUGH
In July 2021, we brought the spirit of 1920’s Harlem to two sold out nights in Peterborough, with Darren Pritchard’s hit show, Rent Party. The show was also revived for one night only in November at Battersea Arts Centre as part of #OverCome2021
Rent Party has been co-created by an extraordinary group of artists from Peterborough with writers and creators from Manchester’s House of Ghetto; Darren Pritchard and Stewart Bowdon.
The show, a great night out, of cabaret of performances which will lift your spirits and fuel your soul – three astonishing singers, an enchanting dancer and a fierce spoken word artist will fill the room with their talents, and shared their funny, emotional and stirring stories with you.
The cast will work to impress you, and the compere, in a competition to “win” the money that will pay their rent. Whose talent and story will you fall in love with? Alexa Vox, Charley Genever, Mark McCredie, Summer, or Teddi the Drag Queen? To find out more about our fierce cast, head to our Rent Party Cast page.
Rent Party in Peterborough is a co-created production written by Darren Pritchard, produced by Jumped Up Theatre and supported by Moving Roots.
Rent Party Peterborough was derived from an original show, Rent Party, co-written by Cheryl Martin and Darren Pritchard, produced by Jayne Compton, dramaturged by Sonia Hughes, commissioned by Homotopia, and supported through Javaad Alipoor as part of his Changemaker stint at Sheffield Crucible.
Interviews with the Rent Party Peterborough company about the making of the show and it’s impact. captioned.
What is a Rent Party?
rent party peterborough trailer
Rent Parties were originated by Black Jazz artists in 1920s Harlem; a way to perform without mainstream society’s barriers while raising money to pay off the exorbitant rent prices targeting Black communities. A century later, and the pandemic has exposed and exacerbated inequalities felt by underserved communities across the UK for generations. In particular, it has magnified the ethos of Rent Party - that working class, freelance artists may be the lifeblood of the industry but they have been calling for fairer working practices, more stable, dependable employment contracts and financial support for decades.
Darren Pritchard, Lead Artist and Director, says:
“These are issues being raised by marginalised communities a hundred years ago - as well as the racism, we also see that the power structures have not changed - class and wealth are ruling Britain today. There is poverty and deprivation, people can’t afford to pay their rent and bills. The world of theatre is not yet as diverse as it claims to be. Power and privilege remain at the top, with working class, freelance artists doing what we have to do to survive.”
“Rent Party is an opportunity for artists to make work in their own voices. We don’t have a building, but we’re four communities delivering four fabulous shows - in the middle of a pandemic. I was interested in exploring what it means to translate Rent Party for these areas, and see what stories can be found. These are 5* shows with people and voices onstage that you don’t see normally. It’s unscripted, these artists are bringing themselves. They want to be heard, to share their stories and deal with current issues. They’ve taught me that we all go through struggle in our lives. These productions are a true testament to the human spirit, to untapped talent - give people a platform and they shine.”
Rent Party was originally created with casts in Manchester and Sheffield.
We collected donations for the Peterborough foodbanks at this event.
