TANGLESPACE

SOUTHAMPTON, October 2026

Performance Pieces

Rainbow to Jazz: A series of pieces inspired by 'Rainbow' by Bristolian singer-songwriter Lady Nade. Written as stream of consciousness snapshots, they capture everyday life as a Black 'mystic' in inner city England, with a loose rhythm and rhyme. This work has been performed on Issa’s poetry show, and in live performance with a jazz band.

Settle the Score: A promotional preview of a blues musical in development, inspired by the case of Lorena Bobbitt, who cut off her husband's penis and was found not guilty on grounds of temporary insanity. The musical reimagines the story through a Black woman's experience and asks whose pain is believed, whose actions are justified and whose survival is criminalised. Combining a spoken word monologue with the first draft of the opening song, Michelle has performed this piece once so far, at Propel Scratch Night.

Cider and Wassailing: A Brief Introduction: A working title for a piece exploring people's relationship with food through theatre. It draws on the south west's history of cider making and wassailing, a largely forgotten British tradition. Building on a scratch version performed at TANGLESPACE, it invites the audience to practise wassailing on stage in a mock presentation, with some new additions.

Host: Sydney K Smith
Sydney was born in Ghana and moved to Greenwich, south-east London, as a child. The youngest of five siblings, he leaned on his imagination—through books and roleplay with friends—as a way to escape the everyday and search for something more. It was only natural that he found his way to acting. 
 
He first joined Tangle in 2008 and has since enjoyed collaborating on a range of exciting projects. For Sydney, the greatest joy has been helping to bring creative communities together as part of the Tangle family. 
 
As a performer, Sydney is passionate about improvisation and emotional truth in delivery. Recently, he has been working in film as well as appearing in several London West End productions.

Musician: Tawanda Mapanda
Tawanda is a composer, saxophonist, marimba and mbira player born and raised in Zimbabwe, creating work at the intersection of live music, movement, and collective experience. He has performed with Tangle in The World Is Hear and Volpone, and with the Royal Court Theatre on For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy. 

WOVEN Performers:
Issa Farrah-Kelly  
Issa Farrah-Kelly is a poet living in and from Southampton. He’s a member of the Southampton WOVEN cohort, started Write a Note Poetry Open Mic and hosts The Clifford Street Corner Poetry Show on Voice FM. 

Michelle Sakyi 
Michelle Sakyi is an African American actor from Virginia. She is passionate about giving representation to girls who look like her, showing the versatility of Black women and proving that seemingly impossible dreams can be achieved. 

Daniel Farmer-Patel 
Daniel Farmer-Patel is a theatre maker and actor interested in reclaiming public spaces and the relationship people should have with them, but too often don't.