To The Streets!

Music & Lyrics by Tim Sutton
Book by Roy Williams
Based on an original idea by Christopher Haydon

An uplifting new musical, inspired by the Bristol Bus Boycott.

It’s 1963 and the Swinging Sixties have arrived: The Beatles release their debut album, the mini skirt is born and the Civil Rights movement is gaining ground in America. Back in the UK, the country is emerging from the Big Freeze. As temperatures thaw, tensions are running high in Bristol where the Omnibus Company refuses to employ Black or Asian drivers or conductors.

Paul Stephenson, an idealistic youth worker, takes to the streets to stand up for equality. Lorraine, a teenager, newly-arrived from Jamaica, joins the fight and, in so doing, finds her voice and becomes part of a movement that changes history.

With an explosive, feel-good score bursting with ska, calypso and rock ‘n’ roll… this is a story of standing up for what you believe in, allyship, and – ultimately – finding joy.

To The Streets! had its first outing as an outdoor musical, performed in parks across the West Midlands in August 2022, as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival – a six-month cultural programme, running alongside the Commonwealth Games.

Browse the full programme for the show here.

Grown alongside the musical, three community-led projects – On Our Way, Soho Settlers and We Still Here, bought together residents and Birmingham based commissioned artists – Nilupa Yasmin, Black Heritage Walks Network, Overhear and Jane Thakoordin, to explore what it means to choose communities, the art of protest, and intergenerational stories within Caribbean and South Asian communities.

WHAT ARE OUR FUTURE PLANS?

China Plate are developing To The Streets! with a view to producing a full stage version of the musical in 2026. If you’re interested to learn more, or come on board as a collaborator, investor, or partner, please contact China Plate’s Producer Fiona Bradley.

Potential partners can also request the latest draft of the script and a playlist featuring all the songs from To The Streets! by emailing [email protected]

Generously supported by Arts Council England and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and Birmingham City Council. Supported by Garfield Weston Foundation’s Weston Culture Fund. The R&D for To The Streets! was supported by Blueprint: Without Walls R&D Investment Fund.

To The Streets! had its first outing as an outdoor musical, performed in parks across the West Midlands in August 2022, as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival – a six-month cultural programme, running alongside the Commonwealth Games.

Handsworth Park, Birmingham
Windmill Hill (Warwick Arts Centre), Coventry
West Park, Wolverhampton

Browse the full programme here, or scroll down to download a copy.

For more information, please visit: tothestreets.co.uk/

WHAT ARE OUR FUTURE PLANS?

China Plate are developing To The Streets! with a view to producing a full stage version of the musical in 2026. If you’re interested to learn more, or come on board as a collaborator, investor, or partner, please contact China Plate’s Producer Fiona Bradley.

Potential partners can also request the latest draft of the script and a playlist featuring all the songs from To The Streets! by emailing [email protected]

Commissioned by BBC Arts, Longing to Belong is a new short musical film about a Jamaican girl’s desire to fit in in 1960s Bristol.

Available to watch on BBC iPlayer, the film is inspired by our brand-new stage musical with Birmingham Hippodrome – To The Streets!

WATCH THE FILM HERE

In the film its 1963 and Lorraine, a Jamaican teenager, has just arrived in Bristol. She soon realises that her new home is not the warm, welcoming place she hoped it would be. In the face of racist hostility, she sings passionately about her desire to belong.

Longing to Belong is one of several films commissioned to reflect the Birmingham 2022 festival celebration of creativity and culture around the Commonwealth Games. Based on the original artwork commissioned by Birmingham 2022 Festival. A China Plate Theatre production in association with Birmingham Hippodrome for BBC.