Left to right: Jono Chant-Stevens, Dan Cox, Paul Burgess and Andy Bannister. Photo, Thomas Chant.
We’ve been talking with the team at St Nicholas Priory for a while. It’s a fantastic building; the oldest in Exeter that’s still in use. Full of history, it felt like the perfect venue for Mobile Incitement. However, our first attempt, part of a planned tour in 2020, was cancelled due to Covid. This year, we finally made it. It was the first time we’d performed the show since we did it at the Freedom and Independence Theatre Festival in Whitechapel, East London, back in 2021. On that occasion, guest performer Saida Tani joined us to sing traditional Bengali songs.
Mobile Incitement – or to give it its full name, Gerrard Winstanley’s True and Righteous Mobile Incitement Unit, is a gig theatre piece made in collaboration with The Black Smock Band – a gay eco-socialist folk band based in Deptford, South-east London. It tells the story of protest in England from the Peasants’ Revolt to the end of the Industrial Revolution, through historical texts, folk songs, and new writing. But what makes it particularly special is that everywhere we take it, we work with local people to make the show truly site-specific, with lots of local stories.
Above: Alan Hoyle left, and Jono-Chant Stevens, right. Photo: Thomas Chant.
Afterwards, Jono told us about his experience of being part of the show:
Mobile Incitement was such a fun project to work on and a wonderful way to engage with local history I had spent far too long overlooking! As an aspiring writer, I particularly enjoyed being a part of the devising process; feeling welcomed (in my first professional acting role) to share my ideas with other creatives made for a really valuable experience.
It felt strange at first to dust off this show, but in the end, it was a real joy. We got to learn about Exter’s history and create a collaborative new version of the show. We got such a warm response from the audience, too. And the venue made it extra special.
So, having thought we’d put Mobile Incitement to bed, we are now wondering where else we can take it. Give us a shout if you’re interested!
Left to right: Jono Chant-Stevens, Dan Cox, Paul Burgess and Andy Bannister. Photo: Thomas Chant
