She’s not picking a side — LEI-LDN is the mixed-race coming-of-age story we’ve been waiting for
Thrown from Leicester to London, Chardaye must confront her identity, her Blackness, and who gets to define her — in a raw and razor-sharp solo debut at Pleasance Courtyard.
Sharp, funny and blisteringly honest, LEI-LDN is a coming of age story that certainly does not ask for permission,. It asks its audience to sit, listen and witness.
It's 2018 and Chardaye is your average, mixed-race 17 year old. Raised by her white mother in Leicestershire, she uproots and is placed with her Jamaican aunt's house in Peckham. This creates a confict - is Chardaye black enough? Is she too white? Does it really even matter?
LEI-LDN is a spoken love letter to self-hood. The lead performance is one of swagger, confusion and deep emotional grit. It's a tale about pressure. The pressure to pick sides and to fit in when, at its core, it shouldn't really matter.
Performer Na-keisha Pebody says, “The show is loosely based on my own personal experiences both moving to London and being mixed race. I grew tired of the ignorance surrounding the mixed-race experience and wanted to explore this through the lens of comedy. In order to educate and empower others"
LEI-LDN
Venue: The Green, Pleasance Courtyard
Dates: 30th July to 25th August (not 11th, 12th, 19th) @ 6pm (60 min)
Age Guidance: 14+, 12 with parent
Tickets: £9 (preview) £12.00 - £13
Content Warnings: Contains strong themes of race and discrimination, uses strong language/profanity, references to violence, police intervention and underage drinking
Captioned performance: 18th August