Soul Food Solo Stories: Chatham Library Tour 2025–26

Chatham Library and Community Hub: October 2025

Following the sold-out success of Soul Food: Solo Stories, Lyrici Arts is delighted to announce the Medway Libraries Tour! Featuring our incredible Black Heritage artists Aduke Aladekomo, Monique Day, Chika Jones, and Lizzy Partridge, these are intimate, community-focused performances paired with hands-on workshops led by talented local facilitators.

This free tour and workshop series celebrates Medway’s creativity and community spirit, transforming libraries into mini stages and creative spaces!

Places are limited, so booking is advised here

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Soul Food Solo Stories gave the audience a sense of being lovingly welcomed in. It was like being offered a seat at a family table, where everyone’s story mattered and every voice is heard. It’s a rare and beautiful thing for a piece of theatre to feel so homely.
– A Young(ish) Perspective

Project Details

Be part of a cultural journey that is transforming Medway’s arts landscape — Soul Food Solo Stories is here to inspire, challenge, and uplift.

Chatham Library, Dock Rd

Mon 20 Oct 2025, 1:00–3:00PM – Sankofa: The Brown Princesses of Council House No.11 Must Bring Back the Light (Lizzy Partridge)
Tue 21 Oct 2025, 1:00–3:00PM – A Prayer from Grandma (Monique Day)
Wed 22 Oct 2025, 1:00–3:00PM – The Many Paths to Becoming (Aduke Aladekomo)
Fri 24 Oct 2025, 1:00–3:00PM – The Receipt Collector (Chika Jones)

All workshops are relaxed, welcoming, and suitable for multiple ages and skill levels. You can simply observe or dive in and get creative – it’s entirely up to you!

This tour and show is part of our HOMEWARD Artist Academy programme. HOMEWARD is an academy devised by Lyrici Arts for Black heritage artists and is part of our Creative and Cultural Country Programme titled Enter The Spotlight. Enter The Spotlight is our three-year programme designed to elevate Black and diverse lyrical artists. Dedicated to nurturing homegrown talent in our local community, our programme champions paid opportunities for artists to develop their skills, perform, and facilitate workshops.

As part of Enter The Spotlight, the HOMEWARD Academy and Soul Food tour offer a platform for early-career Black Heritage artists in the Medway community.

This programme of activity is kindly funded by Arts Council England, Colyer Fergusson Trust, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and Medway Council.

AUDIENCE INFORMATION
Date: The tour will take place on dates across October 2025 and February 2026
Times: Option 1: 1:00 – 2:30 PM → Enjoy the first performance followed by the workshop.
Option 2: 1:30 – 3:00 PM → Begin with the workshop and end with the second performance.
Access: All performances will be relaxed. All libraries are wheelchair accessible.
Age recommendation: All ages are welcome
Cost: Free
Content warning: The Soul Food Solo Stories performances explore themes relating to bereavement, race, and empowerment.