UPROOTED
PROJECT:
“Environmentalism without class struggle is gardening.” – Chico Mendes
On the banks of rivers flowing through Latin America, steel blades arrive to tear up the roots of communities. While territories are carved up by contracts inked in blood, floodwaters disappear homes and people.
Raging against the machinery of colonial capitalism, UPROOTED is a tropical-punk, ecofeminist rallying cry inspired by the voices of displaced peoples and frontline environmental defenders.
Through fierce physicality, searing visuals, and bone-stirring music, award-winning Ephemeral Ensemble excavate unseen networks of oppression and resistance to sow the seeds of a future that is wilder, interconnected, and defiantly alive.
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UPROOTED is commissioned by New Diorama in a co-production with Ephemeral Ensemble.
REVIEWS:
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★★★★★"Show of the year" - A Theatre Loving Londoner
★★★★★"Uprooted brings its story home with a fierce clarity" - Lou Reviews
★★★★"Wealth of theatrical magic" - The Stage
★★★★"Ephemeral Ensemble once again proved themselves to be the frontier of creating socially urgent and unforgettable theatre" - A Young(ish) Perspective
★★★★"A captivating hour of theatricality from an original and thought-provoking perspective" - Morning Star
★★★★"Breathtakingly beautiful" - All That Dazzles
★★★★"A powerful work of protest" - Theatre Weekly​
★★★★"A theatrical wonder" - The Spy In The Stalls
★★★★"The heart is won over entirely" - Everything Theatre
★★★★"Politically challenging and visually exciting" - Latino Life
★★★★"A memorable night out" - Roviews
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PERFORMANCES:
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2025:
23rd SEPT - 25th OCT: NEW DIORAMA THEATRE (London)
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CREATIVE TEAM:
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Director: Ramon Ayres / Performers: Alex Paton, Vanessa Guevara Florez, Eyglo Belafonte, Josephine Tremelling, Louise Wilcox / Music and Sound composition: Alex Paton / Light design: Josephine Tremelling / Tree Sculptures: Carolina Rieckhof / Scenic Painting: Ilaria Ciardelli / Dramaturgy: Devised by the team / Dramaturgy Assistance: Kirsty Housley and Almiro Andrade / Research Team: Professor Alison Ribeiro de Menezes, Postdoctoral Researcher Marije Hristova / Co- devisers: Alex Paton, Andres Velasquez, Eyglo Belafonte, Josephine Tremelling, Louise Wilcox, Ramon Ayres, Chloe Shyan, Felipe Jara, Luiza Kessler and Paolo Zaccuri/ Production: Ephemeral Ensemble in collaboration with New Diorama Theatre / Production Manager: Pete Rickards and Josephine Tremelling / Stage Manager: Daze Corder / Rehearsal Swing: Chloe Shyan / Artistic Support: Teatro La Mascara / Research Support: Professor Alison Ribeiro de Menezes / Research Mentorship: Shirley Krenak and Mayra Mota / Community Collaborators: Un Rio Cauca Muchos Mundos, Sandra Morales from MISAK’s community, SV2G and Garifuna community members, Rios & Ciudades, Guardians del rio Pance, Consejo Comunitario Dos Aguas de Cascajal / Photographer: Alex Brenner, Tristram Kenton
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Commissioned by New Diorama in a co-production with Ephemeral Ensemble. Originally developed on Complicité's Mudlarks International Residency, with additional support from Great Yarmouth, Lost Dog, Blue Elephant, and Theatre Deli.
Funded by Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grant
