Entry for All: First Five with Yomi Sode, Rapman and Special Guests

By Laila Yakubu

As a Young Producer, First Five was an incredible night that I felt very proud to be part of. On the Tuesday before for our Young Producers session we were joined by poet and host of the show, Yomi Ṣode and his son Noah to give them an insight into how the Young Producers work behind the scenes. I gave Yomi and Noah a tour of the theatre with another Young Producer Anika, and told them about the different roles people could take from Social Media to Artist Liaison, and what people were doing in preparation. We had teams organising dressing rooms for the performers, sorting free copies of Manorism for the different groups in attendance courtesy of Lit in Colour and other logistics for the night ahead. Noah joined us and got stuck in with helping sort out what needed to happen, and became the youngest Young Producer member for the evening!

On the Wednesday, as part of the Socials Team, I collaborated with Alycia and Nabila to capture content for Creative Futures. I interviewed Rapman about his experience at Hackney Empire, and some audience members about how they found it. As well as producing content, I was the first port of call for many of our new Young Producers, whose first event was First Five, which was a great experience.

I would say that First Five went smoothly for the Young Producers as everyone knew what their role area was, so if any extra hands were needed they were present. After First Five we had a great session reviewing what went well and what we could improve in preparation for Alter Ego. Though I was a Young Producer, as a young person interested in the creative arts, it was inspirational to hear Rapman and Yomi’s pearls of wisdom about culture and the industry. Hearing the spoken word of my peers is always a great experience but seeing 'My Generation' performed again was extremely empowering and moving. The engaged and interactive audience matched Yomi’s energy when reading excepts from Manorism, and brought the vibes whilst Prinz performed. Overall, First Five, an incredible night underscored by Dj Mimi Rich and packed with young creatives, was very successful!