North London Food & Culture

Music & Soul: a special Kentish Town performance

A one-off double bill of musical theatre from arts company NW Live explores the challenges experienced by homecoming soldiers

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entish Town Heath Centre’s Free Space Project has been a local mainstay for nearly a decade now, brilliantly demonstrating how art of all kinds can be used as a powerful healing tool for mental and physical pain.

Their latest collaboration is with new, Arts Council-funded project NW Live, which aims to inspire the community via a series of imaginative performances in spaces across Camden in 2019 (more info below).

This month (Fri June 28th) sees the Bartholomew Road-based Heath Centre host a performance double bill, including Stravinsky’s iconic The Soldier’s Tale and a new piece called The Way.

The shows brings ex-military men and women (now writers and actors with The Soldier’s Arts Academy) to perform with young professional musicians and dancers, and explores the consequences of PTSD and the often painful process of homecoming after active service.


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Stravinsky’s folk tale sees a soldier home on leave tricked by the devil in to exchanging his violin, aka his soul, for a book that will give him untold wealth, while The Way deals with identity and recognition issues, taking the return of Odysseus (who was tested four times before he was accepted by his community) as a starting point for an emotive narrative presented by former service personnel in their own words.

The event promises to inspire just as much as it entertains, and ultimately educates too. Tickets are £12, but if you are a low-income Camden resident, please email Antonia@freespace.org.uk for free concessions.

Future NW Live concerts focusing on different themes of human experience to look out for include Music & Body this November, and Music & Renewal in March 2020.


Music and Soul, Friday 28th June at 7.45pm, Kentish Town Health Centre, Bartholomew Rd, NW5. More info and to book tickets.

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