Urielle Klein-Mekongo

Trash is a show about the glamourized view of financial success that exists within social media and the levels people are willing to go to have it. Trash explores what happens when appearances and friendships become a commodity.

How much skin is someone willing to reveal to get their rent covered? Who gets to set the boundaries? Who holds the power? Who is more Trash, the married men who pursue these women or the women that use the opportunity to get further ahead?

Trash is a dark, musical comedy taking the form of a crime caper, involving a score with elements of drill, grime, soul & commercial hip hop. This is the story of Faith and Kyla, two working-class black girls who through a reconnected childhood friendship, decide to join the expanding industry of sugar-coated relationships, without fully understanding what it entails.

Writer & Actor #1: Urielle Klein-Mekongo
Dramaturg: Gail Babb
Producer: China Plate & Tamasha
Commissioned by Warwick Arts Centre

About Urielle

Urielle Klein-Mekongo (UKM) is a writer, theatre maker, singer/songwriter and performer. Produced by China Plate, UKM’s first self-penned solo show, Yvette, premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017 where it received 5-star reviews. Inspired by her own experiences, it established her voice and began to build her strong reputation as a female Black British theatre maker.

Yvette won the Young Harts Writing Fest Audience Favourite, Kings Head Theatre Stella Wilkie Award & The East15 Pulse Award 2017. In 2018 it completed a London tour which concluded at the Bush in 2019 for a sold-out month-long run. She was also nominated for best actress in a play by The Stage Debut Awards.

UKM has been a resident artist at the Roundhouse, became a member of the Bush Theatre’s Emerging Writers Group, Tamasha’s Writers Group & was named one of the Old Vic 12 where she developed a new Black British musical Black Power Desk (BPD). BPD was accepted into the BEAM 2020 showcase.

Artist website: chinaplatetheatre.com

The Horizon team would like to thank Battersea Arts Centre and Old Diorama Arts Centre for hosting Urielle over her two week residency.

If you would like get in touch about this work, please contact Hannah Slimmon, International Development Manager.

Email: hannah@horizonshowcase.uk