SITELINES presents The Sound

Wed Jan 21 2026 at 07:00 pm to 08:30 pm UTC+00:00

21 South Street, RG1 4QU Reading, United Kingdom | Reading

South Street Arts Centre
Publisher/HostSouth Street Arts Centre
SITELINES presents The Sound
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Stories & sounds from Reading's Soundsystem heyday
Reading. 1974.
The sounds and the message arriving from the Caribbean are about to change the lives of a handful of Reading school kids. They will go on to build a scene that will take them around the country and establish Reading at the epicentre of a cultural phenomenon.
Join us as we celebrate these pioneering selectors & operators; box boys & MCs; who together made The Sound. Staged as a theatrical soundsystem night, expect great music, drama and a bit of magical Reading history.
Based on interviews with those from the community who were central to the scene, the show will explore the stories & sounds of Reading's Soundsystem heyday.
This show will be an immersive experience for a standing audience. If you require a seat, please email [email protected].
This show was supported by Arts Council England with public funding from the National Lottery.
Credits:
Written by Kia Afflick, Taiwo Akerele, Saffron Green & Will Jordan
Dramaturgy by Benedict Sandiford
Directed by Benedict Sandiford
Produced by John Luther (South Street)
with Lucy Tyler (University of Reading)
Production manager & lighting design by Adrian Croton
Assistant Director Saffron Green
Choose your own price, please choose a price appropriate to your means:
£15 open concs
£17.50 standard
£20 SITELINES supporter
Age guidance: 12+ (under 16s must be accompanied by an adult)
Running time: 60 mins + stay & enjoy more music
SITELINES - Theatre in Unusual Spaces, is a programme of largely off-site work curated by South Street, encompassing everything that doesn't fit a traditional theatre space including outdoor spectacle, intimate one-to-one work, promenade performance, site-specific / responsive work and everything in between.
SITELINES has previously attracted some of the country’s finest and most innovative companies to Reading including Action Hero, Dante or Die, Made in China, Third Angel, Hannah Jane Walker & Chris Thorpe, Unfinished Business and Greg Wohead. South Street has also worked with Reading's finest talent too, to produce new shows for and about Reading, including Benedict Sandiford, Cassie Friend, Sabina Netherclift, Rabble Theatre & Beautiful Creatures.
To date locations in Reading that have hosted SITELINES performances include Madejski Stadium Home Changing Room, Malmaison Hotel, Jackson's Stores, Lok'n'Store self-storage, Reading School Cricket Pavilion, the Oxford Road, University of Reading Whiteknight's Campus, Reading College Graduate Hair Salon, The Oracle Shopping Centre, Market Place, Broad Street, The Abbey School ladies toilets, a post office van and the 3B's pub.
SITELINES was the winner of the Reading Culture Award for Cultural Space of the Year in 2017.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

21 South Street, RG1 4QU Reading, United Kingdom, 21 South Street, Reading, RG1 4QU, United Kingdom

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