Please Do Not Touch

“They will tell you that legal and illegal are the same as right and wrong. And I’ve told you that you only have to sit still for a moment and watch the pieces move to see what a lie that is.”

Written by former Birmingham Poet Laureate Casey Bailey (GrimeBoy, Birmingham Rep) and directed by award-winning theatre maker, Gail Babb (Stars, Tamasha – OFFIE’S Best New Play 2024), Please Do Not Touch is a brand-new co-production between China Plate and Belgrade Theatre.

An extension of Casey’s poetry collection of the same name, Please Do Not Touch follows the story of Mason, a social justice TikToker, as he visits heritage houses to uncover the true stories behind the objects that live within.

After an incident with a Somali Afro comb, Mason finds himself inside a Young Offender Institution. Now in the belly of the systems he is protesting, Mason uses the power of poetry to survive his ordeal and navigate how to keep speaking up when everything is designed to silence him.

Join us for this world premiere, which asks important questions about colonial legacy, contested heritage and how stories are told, whilst shining a light on the criminal justice system.

“One of Birmingham’s best and brightest voices.” – Vanessa Kisuule

“Rooted in local issues and lives, it is utterly refreshing to see this kind of theatre, spoken with its own poetic, streetwise argot.” – The Guardian on Grimeboy

Interested in hearing more about Please Do Not Touch? Writer Casey Bailey and producer Jade Samuels recorded an episode for The Belgrade Pod; unpacking the show and its themes – you can listen via Spotify or Podbean.