Community Service

Current Portfolio   Studio Theatre   Shows  

It’s the 1980s. One of the Midland’s first Black Police officers and an acclaimed gospel guitarist, faces conflict on the streets, at work and in church. To bring harmony to all this discord he must find the spirit behind the letter of the law.

Inspired by the life of community hero Trevor Prince, Community Service is an emotional and uplifting theatre show, full of live music and wit. It is set against a backdrop of Thatcher’s Britain, the Handsworth Riots, miner’s strikes and casual racism. Meanwhile, in the Pentecostal Church a schism is being questioned by children who are listening to secular music on the radio and rebelling against the strict rules of their immigrant parents. 

You can listen below to the New Wolsey Theatre podcast where James talks about the making of the show and the history of Stan’s Cafe. Thanks to the New Wolsey and @podtalkuk for the making and sharing of this …

Tour Dates

Credits

Devised & Performed by
Reisz Amos – Trevor
Kianyah Caesar-Downer – Mum/Janet
Tinashe Darikwa – Clive / Ken / Pastor
Yasmin Dawes – Marica
Dominic Thompson – Clive / Inspector

Band
Ashleigh Hepburn – Drums
Jamael Jarrett – Keyboards
CJ Thompson – Bass

Directed by
Reisz Amos
Steady Steadman
James Yarker

Musical Director – Reisz Amos
Movement Director – Steady Steadman
Text – James Yarker with the company
Costume Designer – Jhalesa Hewitt
Costume Mentor – Kay Wilton
Lighting Design – Nigel Edwards
Projection Design – Michael Ellis
Company Stage Manager – Immy Wood
Technical Stage Manager – Mya Forde
Graphic Design – Simon Ford
BSL Interpretation – Hyacinth Powell
Senior Producer – Nick Sweeting
General Manager – Michelle Smith
West Midlands Producer  – Dominic Thompson
Assistant Producer – Lucy Bird
P.R. – Dave Freak
Marketing – Lucy Bird & Dominic Thompson
Production Photos – Graeme Braidwood

Projected Image Used Under Licence from 
Vanley Burke, Pogus Caesar, Alamy, Michael Ellis,Richard Symonds, Emilian Robert Vicol, Alamy & Wordridden

With thanks to
The Prince Family, Former & current police officers who helped our research, The West Midlands Police Museum, Craig Stephens (Associate Director, Stan’s Cafe), Dave Howard (Creative Learning Producer, Stan’s Cafe), Jess Perks, Caitlin Freestone-Deeming, Vanley Burke, Kay Wilton, David Baker, Hugh Blackwood Sean Bailey, Limbic Cinema, Pogus Caesar.

Community Service ‘Origins’ a Windrush 75 Celebration

After four days of research and development work for Community Service we hosted an event celebrating the contribution of Windrush and subsequent generations to policing in the West Midlands.

This event mixed verbatim testimony from Black Police Officers with scenes from our early rehearsals. Steady did some DJing, Reisz led the house band playing some gospel songs and providing live music for the action. A food van was parked up outside the venue and it all worked out very nicely.

People:

Paul ‘Steady’ Steadman

James Yarker (Artistic Director)

Reisz Amos