No Gypsy Child of Mine

The modern planning consultation process has been described as a circus show, and the play, which follows a travelling community campaigning against being evicted to make way for the 2012 Olympics, takes this metaphor to its logical conclusion. The councillors and officials are depicted as clowns with red noses who literally force community representatives to jump through hoops.

This satire on development is interwoven with a kitchen-sink drama involving Kirsty, one of the inhabitants of the long-standing trailer site, who longs to carve out a career as a flying trapeze artist. Flighty Kirsty, her family, her lovers and an optimistic Rastafarian ice-cream seller argue about the eviction. Most are resigned to the outcome but her father is set on staying put.