Invasion! An anarchic romp through some serious issues

Tomorrow, the play Invasion! starts its second week at the Selkirk. Since its run began, it has received a thumbs up from Time Out with plaudits for the cast and director Jamie Harper.

Common People caught up with Jamie, whose recent directing credits include Beyond the Pale (Southwark Playhouse); The Things Good Men Do (Lyric Hammersmith); A Lie of the Mind (Battersea Arts Centre); and Left, an improvised play for BBC Radio 4.

What is the Selkirk like as a venue for Theatre?

“I liked the idea of presenting the play in quite an informal setting. Very often you have the fourth wall diving you from the stage. In this environment, you feel like you are really with the performers. They are in the same room as you. It makes it feel more like almost like a storytelling circle, rather than actors and audience being separate.

Is this the first time you’ve worked in a venue this size?

“I’ve had experience of intimate venues before but this is a different type of play where so much of the action is about actors directly telling a story. I think there’s more and more of an appetite from people to experience theatre in a different type of ways and in different types of locations. There’s something really democratic about it.”

How does Invasion! work as a play?

“The play struck me as a very theatrical, playful play but handling some big issues. In this play you see everything. It all happens within the room. A lot of the play is about putting on different disguises, putting on different masks. It has a group of four actors who self consciously talk about when they change from one character to the next. Rather than hiding those transitions you want to show it.”

What attracted you to Invasion!

“Sweden is politically topical with the first Swedish suicide attack before Christmas and in trying to extradite Julian Assange. For me, Sweden is appearing on the political map in a way that I’ve never seen before. It made me want to look at the politics more closely.

“We assume that it’s this homogeneous Caucasian liberal society and I think it’s a good deal more complicated than that. I wasn’t aware of the extent of immigration and the rise of right wing attitudes in response to that. It’s a very mischievous and jaunty way of exploring issues of terrorism.”

What are your impressions of Tooting?

“I’ve spent my fair share of time locally and become a fan of the South Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine.

“One thing I am genuinely curious about is to what extent Tooting is culturally integrated. I am a middle class white guy from Ireland to what extent am I likely to rub shoulders with Sri Lankan and South Indian people other than when I go to their restaurants? Are people locally interested in the arts locally?

“I think it would be fascinating to do an Indian play or a Sri Lankan play and  to see how local people would react to it.”

So why should we come and see Invasion!

“If you look at the London theatre scene, you see a lot of plays about middle class people who have very hard relationships. And that can be a bit boring. If you want something a little more colourful, this might be up your street.

Tomorrow marks the opening of the first production of theatre group Tooting Arts Club.

The latest addition to Tooting’s cultural scene was born in the Antelope over dinner. Long term Tooting residents and fans Rachel Edwards and Sue Dunn agreed that Tooting needed a theatre and decided to set one up.

The collaboration between actor Rachel and local drama teacher drama Sue brought together enough theatrical and technical talent to stage Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s play Invasion. The first production will be staged in a room above The Selkirk, but Tooting Arts Club’s longer term plan is to utilise unused space in the area for future events, as Sue explains:

“When we were talking, animated by a glass of wine, Rachel remembered that above the Antelope there used to be a boxing ring and a gym. We thought there must be lots of spaces in Tooting like that that are not being used and establishments that would be happy to have them being used in a way that would generate interest in their business.”

Rachel adds that the lack of a permanent home is not a hinderance and that they are looking at spaces that would provide an ideal setting for a particular play, including a disused church hall for the Sue Townsend play Bazaar and Rummage.

“What we think is unique about what we do is that we can exploit lots of venues in Tooting, depending on what play we do and what’s available. Strangely what we thought might hold us back turns out to be quite a novel idea.

“We might use the Selkirk again for the next production but it’s not really our objective to just find a home and get comfy. There seems to be a lot of potential and there are a lot of spaces that we have seen.”

Sue adds: “It’s site specific but it’s not our raison d’être to do site specific work. It’s about keeping it alive to what’s going on in Tooting, seeing what’s available.”

Rachel and Sue say that the group’s name is deliberately ambiguous. It means that they do not have to be tied to a single venue and allows them to organise events such as cinema nights and art exhibitions. They are hoping to collaborate with grassroots arts organisations.

“To denote a venue would be misleading,” says Rachel. “And I like the fact there is a Chelsea Arts Club.”

Common People will be talking to the director of Invasion, Jamie Harper, later this week.

Just two weeks into 2011 and a lot has happened in Tooting already. If the year continues to be this eventful, there will be no excuse for letting the blogging slip this year.

On Saturday night I attended the launch of Tooting Arts Club – a grassroots theatre company. Set up by a teacher at Burntwood school and one of her former pupils, its first production will be staged at the Selkirk pub in Tooting Broadway next month.

Invasion, by the Swedish Playwright Jonas Hassan Khemiri, runs from 1st to the 19th of February. Its four strong cast are currently in rehearsals and the launch event included a sneak preview of the play in the form of a trailer.

The Arts Club founders – Rachel and Sue – hope that Invasion will be the first of many productions for this group. Their remit is to produce plays both old and new in various venues around Tooting. They are also planning to branch out into other areas of performance arts if their inaugural production proves a success.

The launch event was organised to raise money to develop the collective. The self-styled Mayor of Balham, comedian Arthur Smith, and local MP Sadiq Khan dropped in to lend their support to this cause. Tooting Arts Club has also received a free place in the London Marathon to help boost the coffers further.

The launch of the Arts Club comes at a time when Tooting’s arts scene is experiencing something of a boom. Last week a group of artists opened a pop-up gallery in Tooting Market and over the next few weeks successive artists in residence will be bringing their unique flair to the market.

Meanwhile, Tooting’s pubs are continuing to support the local arts scene with both the Selkirk and Antelope regularly hosting comedians and musicians. All in all, 2011 is shaping up to be a high point for Tooting’s cultural scene.

The pubs of Camden and Shoreditch may have the biggest reputation for unearthing the stars of the future, but a south London upstart might soon give them a run for their money.

Last night the Selkirk in Tooting put on its monthly showcase for local talent and invited back some old friends to celebrate Tracked in Tooting’s second birthday. Tooting mainstays The Henry Road, Little Things and Skinny Machines, formerly known as The Brent Flood, all turned out for the festivities armed with some new tunes.

The night off with two acoustic acts. The first featured two guys with guitars and harmonies and the second, three guys with guitars and a husky-voiced lead singer who broke his guitar string prior to their final number. The second act brought a following with them. Here’s one of their fans:

The Henry Road, whose line-up includes TiT organiser Simon on bass, kicked off the second part of the show. By this time a crowd had assembled and the self-styled purveyors of “wagon pop” didn’t disappoint. Vocalist and keyboardist Phil has an eccentric stage presence – think Bowie with a touch of Brandon Flowers. Their five song set included Jeff Lynne is 5, Bowie’s Visor and Space Age.

Little Things. for me and several others, were the revelation of the night. You can hear their tracks on Myspace, but they don’t offer the same energy that Little Things put into a live setting. They clearly love what they are doing, and with several members pursuing successful solo projects, it’s difficult to catch them playing live.

After their set, I caught up with bassist Iggsy, who sets out Little Things’ plans for the year and reveals a last minute line-up change prior to the gig:

The gig marked the UK debut of Skinny Machines, who last played at the Selkirk in December under the name The Brent Flood. They return from a tour of Switzerland with a new name, a new guitarist and a clutch of new songs. They kicked off with a freshly penned song, revealing a harder edge to their sound.

Halfway through the set, the older songs get an airing including Paint our Faces Red, Kiss the Dirt and the anthemic Pleasureseeker. The latter song certainly pleased the crowd who joined in with the chorus.  I later caught up with lead singer Jay to talk about the band’s new look:

Jay also has news on Skinny Machine’s album plans and strategy to conquer the UK from the outside:

So Tracked in Tooting’s third year started with another packed night at the Selkirk, and with plans for a TiT record label and a summer festival, SW17′s standing on the music scene can only improve. Here’s what some of the punters thought:

I apologise for the distortion on the audio clips – still getting used to the recording level on my digital recorder!

Poster for Tonight's Tracked in Tooting

For the past two years, Tooting-based musicians have enjoyed a regular showcase for their worked at the Selkirk. The Saturday night event, which runs on a monthly basis, takes two local bands with a guest act from elsewhere in the world.

Tonight, Tracked in Tooting celebrates its second birthday with three of its biggest finds, The Henry Road, Little Things and Skinny Machines (formerly known as the Brent Flood). Common People caught up with organiser Simon to find out more.

Originally uploaded by Mariko@Hong Kong

“Balham has always been Clapham’s poor-ish relation” a recent article in the Times claimed.

Historically that may be true, but when it comes to cafés, I believe that Balham is streets ahead.

The problem is, Clapham doesn’t get café culture. It may have done at one time but it doesn’t now.

This point came home to me a couple of weeks ago when I went for a walk on Clapham Common on a Saturday afternoon. Just before three, I decided to go for a coffee.

I was on my own and wanted a place I could linger over a coffee and read my book – both quite reasonable demands, I thought.

The cafés on The Pavement were all crowded so I headed for Venn Street where there is a nice French-style place that serves great expressos and pastries. Or at least it used to.

On my arrival I found it packed with diners – something I found unusual after 3pm. The barista asked me to wait for a table – in the past you would just grab a coffee, find a seat and browse through your paper feeling unhurried.

So I went next door. It was almost empty here but all the tables were still set for lunch, while waiters hurried about with food. Did Hemingway have this problem in Paris? Probably not.

As with the place next door, the staff tried to be accommodating, but as a non-diner, I felt unwanted. The fact that they were set up for lunch was basically telling me to ‘eff off to Café Nero. So that’s what I did.

Well, actually I went to Bertie and Boo’s in Balham. Yes, it’s crowded. Yes, it’s full of kids. But at least you are not surrounded by people eating their lunch and waiters wishing that you’d hurry up and vacate your table for a party of four wanting a set lunch.

Yes, poor relation Balham, and even Tooting, get café culture, unlike their more illustrious neighbour. Unfortunately Balham shows signs of moving towards this unfortunate trend in Clapham. One of my favourite café in Balham closed down a couple of years ago and became Gazette – a foodie place.

I must point out that when I refer to Clapham in this article, I am referring to the area around Clapham Common station. I am fairly confident that the more peripheral areas don’t fall into this trap.

Of course, there are more to places than cafés but there are many other areas where Balham triumphs over Clapham.

If they are anything like me, the yummy mummies mentioned in the Times article will have ditched dreams of a Clapham retreat years ago and settled for beautiful Balham.

Poster for 25th Birthday Party

Banana Cabaret is a Balham institution and a mainstay of the London comedy circuit. There’s a long list of stars who have been propelled to stardom after treading the boards at the Bedford.

Last Sunday, Banana Cabaret celebrated its 25th birthday. Common People caught up with host Dave Vickers for a chat before the gig.