It’s summer on Deptford High Street. The DJ is pumping the airwaves with party tunes and good vibes.
Local resident Chino Igwe dreams of becoming a world-famous novelist and dazzling his community with wild adventure stories. He’s cotching on the High Street, soaking up the atmosphere, before making his way to Goldsmiths University to hand in his thesis.
Just then a strange rumbling sound begins, making the pavement and the rooftops quake, signalling the start of a flood that will engulf his beloved Deptford. In the ensuing chaos all hell breaks loose, and Chino and his community must fight for survival.
Deptford Baby is an anarchic-urban epic tale on love, community, survival and restoration. It was longlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award 2022 and further developed from Jack Studio’s Past Present Future Writers’ Project.
Chukwudi Onwere was born and raised in Peckham, south-east London. He currently lives in Forest Hill. As an actor, Chukwudi played the role of Robert in Natasha Gordon’s award-winning and critically-acclaimed play, Nine Night, at Tower Theatre, London.
Further theatre productions include The Rover (New Diorama Theatre), Demolition (Stratford East), Shedding (Tristan Bates Theatre), Othello in Shakespeare’s Othello (Mary Wallace Theatre), Lucentio in The Taming of the Shrew (National Theatre Studio), Richard II (Malachite Theatre), Blue/Orange (Questors, Upstairs at the Gatehouse, South London Theatre), God Save The Teen and Deptford Tales (National Youth Theatre).
As a playwright, Chukwudi was one of the writers on Casino 52 with the National Youth Theatre. Chukwudi also wrote and performed in his monologue, Deptford Bouncer, at Matchstick Piehouse, as part of the Deptford Literature Festival 2022.
