The Passersby
The Passersby – An immersive new play by Nnenna Samson
created with Kensal Youth
Kensal House
Directed by Nnenna Samson
Design concept by Rachel Grunwald
In the shadows of a run-down London estate, crime and danger hang out everywhere, and news of a rape has got the local kids nervous. Amid all the accusations, who can be trusted to do the right thing?
The Passersby was created with local young people to challenge perceptions others hold about them. The show depicted a group of teenage friends learning to police themselves and step up when they need to aid others. In this unique experience, the lines were blurred between drama and real-life experience, as audience members were seated on the set – a recreation of a real London bus – getting jostled as characters got on and off, sat down beside them and shouted over them.
The Passersby started life as a 2008 SPID show, 23176 (taking its title from the number of sexual assaults in Britain in the previous year). The show was revived in order to build on its success and popularity among the young people, and redesigned to give the young company an opportunity to perform in SPID’s trademark ‘wraparound’ style.