you don’t know what privilege is
even when we are sat at the same table
sharing the same food
we seem to speak in different tongues
but it is ok isn’t it

To wonder, to hold hands and work together
We might not all speak the same language, but we sweat all the same
We breath all the same underneath our differential smiles
         So come brother, sister, sibling
         Come wonder with us

Welcome to REGNANT.
We hope you feel welcome and come with an open appetite and an even more open mind.
Our Host will be taking care of you and see you to your seat.
Our Maestro will be playing a live score composed for you.
Our Chef will be preparing the best food for you.
Our Scribe will be drawing our collective manuscript for you.

You are welcome to interact in this performance installation however you wish to.
If you take your seat at the table, you
Will be offered food and drink
You will be finding a new community of friends, or colleagues.
But most importantly, you will be invited to dream out loud, to debate and ‘make bread’.

REGNANT is a new performance installation, a dinner party with the guests diving into how we interact with each other within the context of migration and belonging. It is composed live with you, our guests, and patrons. Almost all the materials present on stage, from the pottery to the decoration and the food, have been created by hand for you.

As your hosts, we invite you to join us at the dinner table, get merry, make friends and explore structures of power within local communities and how they influence how we shape our collective future.

In REGNANT, Xavier expands the dinner-party setting of his previous show, POST, to think more broadly about collectivity, community and privilege within the performance space and in the development of the narrative itself. This performance installation will include a variety of local guests and co-performers, who will be turning up across the duration of the piece.

Credits

Developed and performed by Xavier de Sousa, An* Neely, Yas Clarke and Emmy Lahouel, with support and mentorship from Jade Montserrat, Saad Said, Deborah Pearson and Lewis Church.

Lighting Design by Tarrek Wilks

Set Design by Hannah Sibai

Produced by Ash Bowmott and Laura Sweeney for The Uncultured

REGNANT is developed with METAL Culture, East Street Arts (Leeds), Theatre in The Mill (Bradford), The Spire (Brighton), Live Collision Festival, Abbey Theatre – National Theatre of Ireland & Project Arts Centre (Ireland), mala voadora.porto (Portugal). Additional funding by Arts Council England. 

About Xavier de Sousa

Xavier de Sousa is an independent performance maker, curator and producer based between Brighton and Lisbon. His practice explores personal and political heritage within the context of discourse on belonging, nationalism and migration. Through theatrical and durational work, he explores the dichotomies between the live experience and agency in the performance space. Xavier is currently developing a trilogy of works about belonging and power structures, kickstarted with his first theatre show, Post (touring). Xavier curates the digital series queeringborders, live programme performingbordersLIVE and New Queers on the Block, The Marlborough Theatre’s Touring and Artist Development Programme.

Previously, he has collaborated with Tim Etchels, Rosana Cade, The Famour Lauren Barri-Holstein, and presented work with Latitude Festival, Tate Modern, Vogue Fabrics, Southbank Centre, The Yard Theatre, CITEMOR (Portugal), Operastate Festival (Italy), Onassis Culture Centre (Athens), Kalamata Dance Festival (Greece) amongst others.

Website: www.xavierdesousa.co.uk
Twitter: @Xavinisms
Instagram: @Xavinisms

Duration:
1 hour

  • Running time – this is a 6 hour durational performance installation, if you book a ticket for the full 6 hours you will be able to come and go as you please. There is also the option to book to come for a single 1 hour slot.
  • Recommended age 12+

Seating at this show is at full capacity with no social distancing.

Ticket prices:

£20 whole show // £6 per hour // concessions available

Select a time slot to book an hourly ticket or click the button below to book for the full 6 hours

Book the full show

Onsale Dates:
HOME Friends – 12pm Fri 30 Jul
HOME Members – 12pm Mon 2 Aug
General Sale – 12pm Tue 3 Aug

There will be some printed text as part of this work, and large print versions of these will be available – please ask Front of House staff.

Audiences are welcome to enter the space and engage with it as they wish. Approximately every hour and a half the space will change slightly and during this time audiences are very welcome to enter and touch any materials at their leisure, pre- or post- engaging with the live elements of the work.