Who We Are
Trybe House Theatre (THT) is a company that works primarily with young black men to actively build resilience and self-wellbeing, using theatre as a supportive outlet. We engage in interactive workshops designed to facilitate emotional understanding and trust to encourage openness and sharing; developing a sense of purpose and connectivity.
WHY?
After years of reports released by Gov.uk and the Centre Of Mental Health we noticed the alarming statistics on the disparity between black men asking for help and accessing support when it’s too late. Given the alarming data, our primary aim is to fill the gap by providing support for young black men by creating a space where young men can express themselves through theatre. The company creates work that looks at the lived experience of the men that we work with and we encourage them to tell their story unapologetically.
In 2015, under the leadership of Philip J Morris, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre took part in an initial pilot scheme Up My Street. This project aimed to improve the mental well-being of young black men through the medium of arts, specifically theatre. It was developed in direct response to statistics that show young black men in the U.K. are much more likely to develop serious mental illness than any other demographic. Funded by MIND, and independently evaluated by the Centre for Mental Health, their findings concluded that the young men were particularly positive about assessing something which provided them with ‘a different vibration’, and encouraged the ‘unique and empowering impact of collective male unity and positive social commitment.’ Several participants also talked about the value they found in the cultivation of a growth mindset : “The past few months of doing all these plays and scripting, and all these techniques has shown me that there’s things that I need to be learning and developing.” The full evaluation was compiled into a report – Against The Odds – and included participants sharing an extract from a devised production – Zulu Blue – at an event in Portcullis House in July 2017, to an audience of senior policy makers, funders and influencers.
In 2019, Philip moved from Birmingham to London to take up the role of Trainee Director at The Royal Court. It has remained a great ambition of his to revive and expand the focus of that original Up My Street work, especially in London, but also now to meet increasing demand from across the United Kingdom. Trybe House Theatre provides an important mechanism for the realisation of this: Its creation marks a significant new step forwards.
As everyone knows, the Covid-19 global pandemic and resulting lockdowns severely restricted the work of theatres and their employees, including Philip. It did, however, free up some important time for him to develop his ambition. Furthermore, the widespread response to the death of George Floyd increased requests for Philip’s practice and experience to support young black men through engaged participation in theatre activities.
During the summer of 2020, Philip reached out to close friends to help develop his aspirations further. They brain-stormed ideas and formulated plans for forthcoming activities which led to Philip, Chenube, and Stefan’s creation of the company . Since launching their first pilot project in 2021 in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs (JTU), Trybe House has become an associate company at the Royal Court Theatre, partnered with Paines Plough, collaborated with the National Youth Theatre, and are currently partners with the National Theatre on NT Public Acts.
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