“I read that if you fold a thousand origami cranes, you’ll be granted a wish…”
This one-woman show written and performed by Demi Wilson-Smith is based on her real-life experience as a young activist, who had dreams of using her photography to change the world. And what better way to do that than to attend the 2010 protest against the increase in university fees, imposed by the Cameron-Clegg coalition, writes Linda Emmanuel.
Full of youthful exuberance, Demi has just turned 18, and is due to attend university. She wants to make the world a better place, full of optimism that her photography will make history. So, armed with the brand-new camera – a birthday present from her mother – and a proudly hand-painted banner, she and her best friend Sasha make their way to the demonstration. The music, the people, from the very young to the elderly, from all walks of life, feels like the best thing in the world to be a part of. As she’s busy using her beloved camera, Demi’s enthusiastic activism turns brutally chaotic at the hands of the police, a flawed justice system and her subsequent stay at HM Prison Holloway.
Demi feels her experiences 16 years ago continue to be relevant today, because “rights to protest are being stripped back”.
Earlier, she told me, “I wrote this as I want people to think about democracy and what it means to have the right to protest as well as think about the human beings behind the headlines, such as the Filton Four, Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil.”
A brave writer/performer, she positively shines as she embodies the characters that populate the show, such as her Jamaican mother, politically astute friend, Sean, and Sasha, a Virgo and BFF. Breaking the fourth wall, she hands out a few origami cranes to the audience who then feel free to accompany her chants at the protest.
“Demi is so bold and brave, with a level of endurance to be able to engage and entertain us for 90 minutes as she bares her soul,” her mentor Ryan Calais Cameron said before the show. “I feel honoured to have been a part of this for the last 18 months.”
The set designed by Ruth Badila is beautifully simple, furnished with boxes at different levels, journeyed over with ease as the story evolved. A cloud of coloured origami cranes adds a surreal element to the stage.
This is the second in a trilogy of plays developed and jointly produced by award-winning playwright Ryan Calais Cameron and Carmel O’Connor of the Broadway Theatre.
Very well received and applauded, Cranes runs until 4th October 2026. I highly recommend booking a ticket.
Next up will be How to Keep Warm in Winter by Kaleb D’Aguilar (14th -25th October)
Broadway Theatre, Rushey Green, London SE6 4RU
Booking and full details: https://www.broadwaytheatre.org.uk/the-ryan-calais-cameron-season/
