Freedom, created and developed by Mohammed ‘Ayo Busari’ and produced by blue joy theatre company, is an interdisciplinary performance work that interrogates what it means to seek, lose and reclaim freedom across diasporic Black and African identities. Blending theatre, live music, spoken word, storytelling, movement and cinematic audio-visual design, this visceral and poetic work journeys through Nigeria, the UK, the US, and Australia, tracing how freedom is shaped by colonisation, migration, memory and belonging.

At its core, Freedom asks: “What does freedom truly feel like?”, and “for whom is it withheld, delayed, or denied?” The work unfolds as an intimate dialogue between self and shadow, body and voice, exploring not freedom as an abstract idea but as something lived, carried and sought within the body. It is a piece grounded in reflection, resistance and release.

During this residency, Ayo and collaborators will undertake the second stage of creative development, expanding Freedom into a 30-45 minute performance. This phase will focus on deepening the sonic and dramaturgical architecture of the work through the development of original compositions, research, refinement of the narrative arc, and exploration of embodied movement and spatial storytelling. Emphasis will be placed on how voice, music, movement, and design can operate cohesively to strengthen both the emotional resonance and conceptual clarity of the piece.

The primary objective of this development is to evolve Freedom into a fully realised work, ready for a development showing. This includes refining its dramaturgy, expanding its physical language, and integrating its interdisciplinary elements into a cohesive performance experience. Ultimately, the project aims to position Freedom for presentation in spaces that centre diasporic, intercultural, and multidisciplinary performance, while contributing to broader conversations around identity, liberation, and belonging.