RIPPLES - A Stand & Be Counted Production, 17 - 27 September 2025
Image Credit: Smart Banda
RIPPLES
An electric new play with live sound
Finish school, move to the big city, chase dreams of stardom. Life is just getting going.
But then the letter arrives, and the van turns up. And everything changes.
“I have a story they don’t want me to tell.”
Lost in a world of surveillance and suspicion one man fights to hold onto who he is. Based on true events, the UK’s first Theatre Company of Sanctuary, Stand and Be Counted present an urgent and electrifying interrogation of 21st century Britain and the relentless power of hope.
Written and performed by Tafadzwa Muchenje - an award winning writer, actor, and multidisciplinary artist whose theatre work explores identity, belonging, mental health, and migration. A bold voice in British theatre, Taf has performed with Stand & Be Counted Theatre (Where We Began, Where We Are) and contributed to ArtReach (Not A Chance Encounter), and also works as a marketing executive at Channel 4. He’s the founder of The Shed, a men’s network championing allyship, inclusion, and gender equity. Taf is an Associate Artist of Stand & Be Counted Theatre.
RIPPLES was presented at 1853 Studios Mill 2 Gallery and supported by Oldham Coliseum Theatre.
Read more about the performance, including reviews via Stand and Be Counted’s website
During the RIPPLES run, 1853 Studios also hosted a live podcast event with Stand and Be Counted and Tafadzwa Muchenje in collaboration with Our Art Podcast
Host Matt Dean leads the chat along with questions from the audience. Listen below to find out more about this epic, incredibly relevant piece of work.
Our Art Podcast is an 1853 Studios podcast produced by KUPOD.
As part of the public programme for this show, we invited DIPACT to select artists to respond to the performance. We worked closely with DIPACT and the selected artists Daria Protsenko and Karolina Kanska to produce a community food event and responsive workshop.
Their response exhibition, Life as a Simulation explored how life can be seen as a simulation of the system we live in. The artworks — including digital art, video, photography, animation, and performance — show everyday life as if it were a game, where people try to find their place and meaning.
The work reflects how we are all part of a system that can be hard and unescapable, but also reminds us to stay true to ourselves and understand who we really are.
Read more about Daria and Karolina’s RIPPLES Response here
RIPPLES is a Stand and Be Counted Theatre production. Supported by Sheffield Theatres, Oldham Coliseum, Bloc Projects and 1853 Studios, with funding from Arts Council England and Paul Hamlyn Foundation
This performance run and public programme was made possible with support from public funding by National Lottery through Arts Council England.