Monday 29th June
On the last Monday of the month of all things LGBTQ+, we immerse ourselves in the practices of Pauline Oliveros and Sarah Kane, queer figures who have charted methodologies of being. Methodologies to listen to. Methodologies to learn from. Methodologies to live by.
In person at Walworth Living Room.
Book your free ticket below!
The Headlines
12pm – 1:15pm: Queer Acting Sarah Kane, with Southwark Playhouse Director Prof. John McRae and Producer David Workman
1:30pm – 2:30pm: Queer Listening – 1 – with Deep Listening facilitator, musician and performance artist, Dan Johnson
2:30pm – 2:50pm: Refreshment Break
2:50pm – 3:50pm: Queer Listening – 2 – with Dan Johnson
4pm: Refreshments
5pm – 6pm: Where the Story might need a Song… Collaborative Songwriting with Musical Director Tom Attwood
12pm – 1:15pm: Queer Acting Sarah Kane, with Southwark Playhouse Director Prof. John McRae and Producer David Workman
An exploration of playwright Sarah Kane’s work, as staged by Southwark Playhouse’s Elders Company.
In this conversation with Southwark Playhouse, we will explore the writing of a groundbreaking Queer playwright and South London’s resident, Sarah Kane. We will hear from Southwark Playhouse about their June 2026 production of her seminal work 4:48 Psychosis.
This is a unique opportunity to see inside the Southwark Playhouse restaging of the piece and explore what makes Kane such a relevant voice for Queer and Crip communities today.
About the play:
4.48 Psychosis is a journey into the mind at its most fragile. Through fractured thoughts and fragmented voices, Sarah Kane’s final work strips away the boundaries between patient and doctor, self and shadow, despair and hope.
You can learn more about the play here: https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/448-psychosis/
About the director:
John McRae was a professor for many years and has worked in more than 70 countries, across both theatre and academia. He has published around 70 books and directed countless theatre productions, beginning at the age of 19.
About Elders Company:
Southwark Playhouse’s Elders Company is a theatre group for people over 65 years old. They meet weekly throughout the year to take part in workshop activities and rehearse and devise their own productions for performance on stage at Southwark Playhouse and in the community.
You can learn more about Elders Company here: https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/participate/elders-company-2/
1:30pm – 2:30pm Queer Listening – 1 followed by 2:50pm – 3:50pm Queer Listening – 2 – with Deep Listening facilitator, musician and performance artist Dan Johnson
Deep Listening facilitator Dan Johnson joins us to explore listening and musical improvisation as a means of reclaiming our attention and expanding our awareness of ourselves, each other, and all life around us.
This workshop will focus on the core principles of Deep Listening practice (as developed by Pauline Oliveros, IONE and Heloise Gold), and on the use of simple rhythmic exercises as tools for social connection and creative empowerment.
Deep Listening offers "a foundation for a radically transformed social matrix: one in which compassion and peace form the basis of our actions in the world." - Pauline Oliveros.
The workshop will run for 2 hours, including a 20-minute break. No prior musical or Deep Listening experience is necessary, and instruments will be provided.
You may find it most conducive to attend both parts. However, if you can only make one, please do feel very welcome to. No one will be turned away.
We are delighted to have Dan back among us!
About Dan:
Dan Johnson became a certified Deep Listening Facilitator with the Centre for Deep Listening at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York, in 2022. With work featured in the 2025 book, ‘A Year of Deep Listening’, Dan is one of the most active Deep Listening facilitators across the UK, delivering workshops at venues and arts centres including: Full of Noises, Arnolfini, Pan Pan and most recently accepted the role of Deep Listening consultant for a forthcoming project with Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff.
Additionally, as a musician, Dan leads the inclusive percussion/performance art project, ‘Ecstatic Drum Beats’, as well as being an active solo performer, collaborator and teacher whose past & present collaborators include: Maggie Nicols, Moor Mother, Dali de Saint Paul, Valentina Magaletti, Ximena Alarcón, Kit Wilmans Fegradoe, Zoh Amba, Pat Thomas, Felinto, Annie Gardiner, and Ossia.
4pm: Refreshments Break
5pm - 6pm: Where the Story might need a Song… Collaborative Songwriting with Musical Director Tom Attwood
Join highly accomplished Composer and Musical Director Tom Attwood in a rare opportunity to participate in industry-standard collaborative songwriting.
We’ll work together, with Tom, to develop some song ideas based on existing stories. We'll work out where in the story might need a song, think about developing a hook, about how to evolve lyrics, and about character choices.
No previous musical experience necessary!
Please bring ideas of stories you want to explore! This might be a story you have read, heard, seen, or something you have imagined…
About Tom:
Tom Attwood is a UK-based composer, musical director, sound designer, and educator. Trained at Rose Bruford College, he is a senior lecturer and module coordinator for their undergraduate Actor Musician programme.
He maintains a highly active freelance career alongside his academic work. His professional highlights include: working as Composer and Sound Designer for productions such as The Rivals (Theatre Royal Bath and Arts Theatre Cambridge) and The Comedy of Errors (Orange Tree Theatre), as well as serving as Musical Director for Les Misérables at the Mayflower Theatre.
Tom held music direction and supervision roles for productions of Grease, Bugsy Malone, Camelot, Murder for Two, and Cabaret, among others. He spent five years at the National Theatre, contributing to major productions like The History Boys (including the West End, Broadway, and international tours) and The Habit of Art.
He provided original music and instrumentation for films such as The Invisible Woman and for the BBC.
📍 Walworth Living Room, Surrey Square, SE17 2JU
How to find us:
By Tube:
Nearest stations are Elephant & Castle (Northern & Bakerloo lines) or Kennington (Northern line). Both are about a 15–20 minute walk.
By Bus:
Routes 343, 136, 42, 68, 468, 171, 176, 188, 360, 453 all stop nearby.
Get off at Albany Road / Bagshot Street or Walworth Road / East Street and it’s a short walk.
By Train:
The nearest stations are Elephant & Castle or Denmark Hill, both a short bus ride away.
Please note there is no on-site parking at this venue.