The Corner Shop (2008 – 2009)
Open the door- a bell rings…do you smell gingery dhal or Polish bread?
Behind the counter, past the tightly packed shelves, is a second door – a TV murmurs: is it Coronation Street or a Hindu movie? Who will serve you? Who else might see you there? What do they want?
Based on interviews with shopkeepers, their families and their customers, Corner Shop explored the extraordinary stories and people, who are both infront of and behind the counter, in your local corner shop. A corner shop is often the first visible sign of a newly arriving community in Britain and this show explored the different experiences of the people who have been running our corner shops for the last 50 years.
This site-specific show played in empty shop units within shopping centres, contrasting the two experiences by its sheer location.
In 2008 The Corner Shop was devised and developed in a disused shop in West Bromwich which was subsequently turned into a theatre set and performance space for the audience to be engrossed into the environment. After a successful initial run, a second shop was transformed in Wolverhampton and the show ran again in 2009.
The Corner Shop was created in partnership between Black Country Touring, Foursight Theatre and English Heritage.
Click here to find out more on The Corner Shop project website.