Opening this week at Peckham Fringe, Joe Flynn’s DRIVE is “an unflinching exploration of four college friends and their coming of age, set to the sound of East London’s youth. From adolescence on the estate to adulthood in the city, follow our unlikely frontmen as they charm their way through this boldly comic and musical retelling of Joe’s teenage experiences.”
Where: Theatre Peckham – Main Theatre
When: 6-7 May, 7.30pm
Ticket link: https://www.theatrepeckham.co.uk/show/drive/
Producer Gabi McGurk parked up to answer some burning questions.
Can you tell us a bit about your new show?
From adolescence on the estate to adulthood in the city, DRIVE follows our unlikely frontmen as they charm their way through a journey of self-discovery and burgeoning musical ambition.
Actor-writer Joe Flynn is debuting his most personal work to date, reframing his experiences growing up on Limes Farm council estate through this boldly comic and musical retelling – set to the sound of East London’s youth.
Translated via the diverse lyricism of today’s urban generation, DRIVE candidly unpicks the codes that construct ideas of masculinity in British working-class boys.
Do you enjoy fringe festivals? What’s great about Peckham?
I’m a newly converted fan of fringe festivals – after my first time going up to EdFringe last year with Jessica Telling’s Chameleon, I would rate it an entirely overwhelming but hugely rewarding experience.
As anyone will tell you, the best part by far is the diversity of pieces on offer and the random connections you can make for life. The Peckham Fringe is particularly special to me as a native south Londoner. The community that gets brought together from all across the city feels so beautifully genuine, supportive and dedicated.
From Olamide Ajisaferom’s one-woman extraterrestrial Mothership, to Seren Hamilton’s Welsh political drama Riot Street, to our dramaturg Romeo Mika’s romantic dramedy for Londoners, This Too Shall Pass, there is simply no room to be bored within this year’s programme.
DRIVE is a show about teenage boys, music and working-class masculinity. Where did the idea come from?
DRIVE is a labour of love that has gone through countless iterations over many years. It has been written and directed as an ode to Joe’s childhood mates in Greater East London, laced with the outrageous humour and musical deep-cuts that are woven into the fabric of every friendship group.
Centering around four young men of marginalised backgrounds who weigh up their love for performing against their ideas of masculinity, Joe has pulled from not only his perspective but also from that of the whole company throughout the devising process.
Taking care to represent these communities with authenticity and sensitivity, workshops with groups such as ice&fire, a human-rights-centred theatre company; and Tough Enough To Care, a male-focused mental health charity; have been essential to the play’s development.
At the heart of it, Joe was driven by a need to explore what happens when individuals of these circumstances can see beyond what is expected of them and strive for something greater, examining whether this is truly possible in reality.
In service of these ideas, he also couldn’t resist making audiences sit through the jaw-dropping yet wondrous conversations that teenage boys have when no one else is around…
What else is in the pipeline after these shows?
This is only the beginning for DRIVE. We are extremely grateful for the platform that Theatre Peckham offers, allowing us to show just a snippet of the show’s potential to blossom beyond fringe.
It is without a doubt that we will continue to expand and refine DRIVE, and we can assure you that the music won’t be going quiet anytime soon.
In working towards our larger mission of engaging the communities that the play is made for and about, we feel fortunate to be able to continue our outreach work with our partnered organisations.
We can’t wait to host skills and confidence building workshops with the young performing arts students of our sponsors, HFTD Academy and Jam Dance Company.
We also eagerly anticipate continuing our work with our charity partners Mind in West Essex, Andy’s Man Club and Tough Enough To Care, to aid in supporting the vulnerable groups that we endeavour to uplift.
Sell us your show in three words!
Unfiltered, electric, and heartfelt.