The Lockdown Monologues - 8 Original Stories

The Lockdown Monologues have been developed as a result of Arts Council England investment by the Collage Arts Community.
8 original stories developed with local diverse women on their reflections during Covid19 lockdown and Black lives matters.

Collage Arts website article…
In March 2020, Collage Arts in London’s Wood Green asked itself some searching questions about creativity in the time of the pandemic… We have been working for some time to empower creativity amongst women from diverse backgrounds… We invited Black women to come forward to share their stories…

Read the full article here; http://www.collage-arts.org/how-does-a-community-arts-group-respond...

The first series of work we are sharing is The Lockdown Monologues.

Women were given a choice. They could work with an actor who would bring their stories to life. Or they could work with a director who would give them the skills to tell their own stories.

---Monologue 1. Runway of Life---
Runway of Life is based on the experiences of Maxine Griffiths, but some of the names and places have been changed.

“To know where you are coming from, to share this experience of where I have been, I can now tell the stories of the faces never seen.” Performed by Donna Berlin.

Watch the full video here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMgjJrpQAzI&feature=emb_logo

---Monologue 2. Out of the Tunnel---
This writer known as Baina draws on her personal experiences of the impact of falling foul of the visa system. Out of the tunnel is performed by Suzette Llewellyn.

Watch the full video here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_dSc7HMBzE&feature=emb_logo
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What’s to come from this project?

Over the coming weeks we will be sharing 6 more videos and 12 diaries which chronicle the period of the lockdown through the eyes of Black women in North London.

The work is varied in its form and content. The experience of the writers varies from first time writers to women we see as on the cusp of a publishing deal. Together this is unique record of an unprecedented year.

Collage Arts has to raise over £1500 a day to ensure that its youth, enterprise and community programmes can be fully accessible. www.collage-arts.org/gift-aid

This work has been made possible due to an investment by the Arts Council which supported creative and cultural organisation’s responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Collage Arts are a leading arts development, training and creative regeneration charity based in the Haringey Cultural Quarter. For 35 years the organisation has created opportunities for greater participation in the arts and creative industries for the whole community through a range of learning projects, business support, facilities and resources.
http://www.collage-arts.org/