Debris Stevenson, Royal Court Theatre

A new season at the Royal Court Theatre always revolves around new writing. But the 2018 season goes beyond the typical domain of theatre into spoken word and grime. Well-heeled West London is about to get woke with Debris Stevenson, a pioneering new work from one of the brightest, boldest new voices in poetry and urban music.

Deborah 'Debris' Stevenson is a young poet, musician and dancer who has spent the last thirteen years shaping London's growing grime scene. Described as a 'White, British-Italian, often perceived as racially ambiguous, technically Jewish, Ex-Mormon, pansexual, writer, grime-poet, dyslexic, working-class, academic, dancehall freestyling social activist,' she is a keen commentator on issues of intersectionality and accessibility.

After discovering poetry at the Roundhouse as a dyslexic teenager, Stevenson has gone on to perform around the world, working with the likes of Louis Vuitton, Oxford University and BBC Radio.

This new, self-titled work draws on lyrics, verse, movement and music to tell the story of becoming a poet against the odds. Taking the audience through a teenage bedroom, a house party and a pirate radio station, Debris Stevenson is an exploration of one woman growing up and finding her voice.

Original musical composition comes from master of urban music Michael 'Mikely J' Asante, and dancer/actor/director Benji Reid, who has spent 25 years creating physical theatre and hip hip theatre, directs this world premiere.

Debris Stevenson is co-commissioned by the Royal Court Theatre and Represent, which is a series of artworks inspired by the Representation of the People Act 1918, which enabled women over the age of 30 to vote. The initiative invites young female creatives to consider democracy in contemporary Britain.