London Stories

London Stories at Battersea Arts Centre was my first experience of 1 on 1, or in this case 1 on 1 on 1, theatre and it will certainly not be my last. I was mesmerised by the transformation of the building and the lasting effect of the stories I heard.

The premise of the show was to hear stories from people, ordinary Londoners you would pass on the street or stare blankly at on the tube.  People who you would not give a moments thought, but who are brought into your lives for one night and share their stories.  A simple idea beautifully realised.

Each audience member has a different route and therefore only hears six stories.  You hear each story with a stranger, split from whomever you arrived with.   This was initially a daunting prospect, but one that added to the magical quality of the night.

The stories I heard affected me more than I had expected, and have had a lasting impact.  Two stories in particular profoundly moved me on the night and have continued to do so beyond the world of London Stories.   The first was told by Lara, she spots a figure standing on the edge of Blackfriars Bridge who is obviously intending to jump. Her description of tears pouring out of his hoody sent shivers down my spine and from that point on I became more and more emotionally involved in her story.  Theatre is such a powerful art form, and being in a 1 on 1 situation hearing true stories from the people that experienced them intensified the impact on me. I left Lara’s’ story with tears streaking my face, with the accommodating venue managers offering me tissues.

(c) Layla El-Deeb

Another story that particularly affected me was that of a storyteller labeled as ‘Anonymous’. She began her story by stating that what she was about to tell us, none of her friends or family knew: she was secretly married.   Although her secret marriage is a heart-wrenching story, the description of her mothers’ death was an almost unbearably moving experience.  She described seeing her mothers’ dead body, smelling it and the coldness of its touch, with tears in her eyes.  I know I will never forget being witness to such raw emotion in a room with two strangers. 

The other stories that I witnessed did not have such an impact on me emotionally, yet I still felt privileged to hear these fellow Londoners share with me their passionate, funny and often empowering stories. A story about a child visiting her sick sister and befriending another sick child in the ward, until she visits one day and her new friends bed is empty. A Millwall supporters experiences at a match and the sensationalist reaction to the violence at the match, of which he had no part, describing his friends eagerness to hear his stories of the violence when all he wanted was to talk about the match itself. 

Battersea Arts Centre’s building was another key component in this production; this old town hall with all its secret rooms, staircases and hidden corners was the fourth member of the intimate London Stories.  The building was candlelit and without any signage instructing audience members to do so, everyone spoke in hushed tones as if in respect of the stories we were being told. 

I feel honored that I was a part of such a fantastic production that put Londoners and BAC in the spotlight.