Inspired by the Windrush generation and set in the writer’s hometown of Nottingham, award-winning new play Shebeen shines a light on a community under siege.

Shebeen is set in a hot, humid summer in 1958. Tempers are flaring and Teddy Boys are on the march. Jamaican couple Pearl and George are helping Caribbean migrants to cut loose at their Shebeen – a forbidden party where drinks flow, music plays, food is plentiful, and carefree attitudes roam.

On a night fuelled by rum, calypso and dancing, the Shebeen is under threat from the police, and as tensions build everyone is forced to confront some uncomfortable truths.

Theatre Royal Stratford East alumnus Matthew Xia returns to direct Mufaro Makubika’s new play, winner of Alfred Fagon Award.

Timely, expertly cast, and full of tenderness and joy, Shebeen is an electrifying performance of sheer power.