Poet in da Corner

(Paperback)

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A coming of age story inspired by Dizzee Rascals seminal album. In a strict Mormon household somewhere in the seam between East London and Essex, a girl is given Dizzee Rascals ground-breaking grime albumBoy in da Cornerby her best friend SS Vyper. Precisely 57 minutes and 21 seconds later, her life begins to change from feeling muted by dyslexia to spitting the power of her words; from being conflicted about her sexuality to finding the freedom to explore; from feeling alone to being given the greatest gift by her closest friend. In this semi-autobiographical piece, step into a technicolour world where music, dance and spoken word collide, and discover how grime allowed Debris Stevenson to redefine herself.

Reviews

"It's rare to come across a piece of theatre that is so gloriously and absolutely itself as this sparks-flying homage to grime music... one of the most exciting things I've seen all year... this poet deserves to be front & centre." * Evening Standard *
An ode to [grime], performed as a poetic monologue but also a kind of grime musical... Stevenson maintains raw energy and passion and it is thrilling to see grime as a mode of theatrical storytelling. The heartstopping moments, though, are in the spoken-word poetry, when words blaze the stage and Stevenson appears like the Kate Tempest of grime. * Guardian *
Like Stevenson's sprinting lyrics, Ola Ince's production oozes assurance... the skill with words clings. * The Times *
A gutsy, gritty breath of fresh air a galvanising love letter to the music that allowed her to escape her claustrophobic East London upbringing... Stevenson is a witty wordsmith, spitting punchy, rapid-fire bars on education, on religion, on politics and everything in between, weaving in a classically structured coming-of-age rebellion story of a repressed teenager finding their voice through music... best of all, Poet In Da Corner is alive to its own innate complications... an energetic, exuberant gig-theatre show, built with theatrical savviness on Dizzee Rascal's iron-strong foundation." * WhatsOnStage *
Putting grime in a theatre space is always going to feel weird, and Poet in da Corner is endlessly aware of what it means to put a white girl in the middle of this story and this theatre. Does it do enough I guess Im not the right person to answer that question. But Stevensons performance feels undeniable, soaked in the sweat of a 00s east London thats not quite Dizzee Rascals, but authentically hers. * Time Out London *
Christian is a delicate and thoughtful writer, deftly handling the moral complexity of her material * The Guardian *

Author Bio

Dyslexic-Writer, Grime Poet, Working-Class Academic, Pansexual Ex-Mormon and Bashment Dancing Social Activist from the seam between East London and Essex: its not that simple. Debris Stevenson has no choice but to explore the intersectional, unexpected and unjust its not just who she is, its her responsibility in a world that all too often summerises us into a caption. At secondary school 2002 2008 Debris was educated through the evolution of Grime, finding poetry in the mouths of the teenagers around her. Nurtured by the Roundhouse, Debris was then followed by Chanel 4 for a year (Yeardot), published by organisations such as, Louis Vuitton, Oxford University, BBC Radio 4 and Flipped Eye with her debut pamphlet, Pigeon Party. A social carrier pigeon, Debris has performed, written and taught poetry in over 20 countries and 10 American States. Her passion for nurturing and educating poetic communities started with The Mouthy Poets, teaching young people; creative writing, performance and event coordination as emotional, professional and creative life skills. Debris has since been awarded over 250,000 by Arts Council England to develop young talent. Debris is now working on her debut grime-poetry show at The Royal Court Theatre commissioned by 14/18 Now and The Jerwood Foundation. (She can also often be found dancing to Grime, Soca, Afrobeats and Dancehall for organisations such as The Heatwave and Red Bull Music Academy).