Overheard in a Tower Block
15 Jun–27 Jul 2025
For everyone over 7
Duration: 1 hour approx.
This play of OVERHEARD IN A TOWER BLOCK is based on the book OVERHEARD IN A TOWER BLOCK © 2017 written by Joseph Coelho and illustrated by Kate Milner and published by Otter-Barry Books.
A powerful and imaginative coming-of-age drama inspired by award-winning poet Joseph Coelho’s Overheard in a Tower Block. Step into the life of a young boy growing up in the heart of a bustling city tower block.
From the laughter of neighbours to whispered secrets and moments of quiet woe, this story invites you to listen to the rhythms of life in a world filled with challenges and surprises.
Through vivid, thought-provoking poetry brought to life on stage, Joseph Coelho’s words paint a poignant and relatable picture of growing up. With themes of family, friendship, courage and self-discovery, this is a story about finding your way in a world that doesn’t always make sense.
Prepare to be moved, inspired and captivated.
‘Statues that sing for your flesh and blood; bullies who kick you under the table; and things that lurk in the library…
Growing up in a Tower Block can be full of surprises, even more so with a disappearing father and a Mermaid Queen Mother;
Gazing at the stars from five storeys up,
smelling the bins from five storeys below…
Overheard arguments.
Overheard laughter.’
A young boy’s coming-of-age story by the 2022-24 Children’s Laureate.
Please note that this show contains flashing lights around 35 minutes into the show.
View the digital freesheet for Overheard in a Tower Block here.
Credits
Written by Joseph Coelho
Directed by Samantha Lane
Directing Assistant Katherine Haw
Designed by Oliver Hymans & Dan Southwell
Lighting Design by Sherry Coenen
Associate Lighting Designer Ariane Nixon
Music Composed & Sound Designed by Ian Oakley
Stage Managed by Alex Bradford
Performed by Elliott Bornemann and Clarke Joseph-Edwards
Puppetry Trainee & Shadow Puppets – Gisela Mulindwa
Puppet Design Assistance from Gisela Mulindwa, Malika Joy, Marcus Crofton, Sasha Morant, Ash Appadu, Naomi Oppenheim and Clementine Alexander
View the digital freesheet for Overheard in a Tower Block here.
Supported by:
Cockayne Grants for the Arts, a Donor Advised Fund, held at The Prism Charitable Trust
Christina Smith Foundation
Arts Council England
Age guidance
Overheard in a Tower Block is aimed at everyone over 7
About our age guidance
On some shows we don’t give an upper age because we are recommending them for young people and adults too. Shows can be less suitable for children under the given ages for many reasons, including more mature themes, complexity of language and narrative, and subject matter or scenes that some may find scary or upsetting. We appreciate that everyone is different and age ranges can only be a rough guide, so it’s most important that you read all the guidance before booking for the child you would be bringing.
This show has standard theatre seating. There are rows with soft blocks and chairs facing the stage. The audience stay seated while watching the show, but you can leave and re-enter the auditorium at any time.
The poems explore topics including bullying, difficult family relationships and growing up, and a range of feelings including sadness, fear and anger. There is some dark imagery in places.
This is a young person’s coming of age story, so children who are much younger may not relate so well to the experiences or emotions. The language and storytelling will be pitched at older children.
Overheard in a Tower Block is written by Joseph Coelho, based on his collection of poems with the same name. You can buy the book from us here.
This is a new production which premieres in May. A trailer will be available soon after the show opens.
View the Visual Story for Overheard in a Tower Block here.
Accessible Performances
BSL Interpreted Performance: Thursday 24th July at 2pm
Click here to book for this BSL performance.
These performances are provided for those who use British Sign Language. The interpreter will be at the front of the stage and lit with a spotlight. They will provide a linguistic and artistic interpretation of the show for people who are D/deaf or for whom BSL is their preferred language.
Relaxed Performance: Sunday 6th July 2.30pm
No online booking for Relaxed Performances – please call 020 7226 1787
Relaxed Performances are provided for people who would benefit from a more relaxed environment, or are uncomfortable with sudden lighting changes or loud noises, including those with an Autistic Spectrum Condition, sensory or communication needs or a learning disability. Find out more here.
View the Visual Story for Overheard in a Tower Block here.
What is a visual story? Find out more here.
If you are interested in arranging a weekday Relaxed Performance for a school group, please contact boxoffice@littleangeltheatre.com
Schools Performances
For KS2, KS3 & KS4 / Age 7+ – see above for notes on age guidance.
Our education resource pack will be available soon. This will include creative ideas for drama, puppetry and poetry related lesson plans linked to poems in the anthology that tie in with our production.
To enhance our own educational resources we are pleased to share the Literary Leaf resource from Literacy Tree for Overhead in a Tower Block.
Click here to access their 15-session Literary Leaf resource supporting teachers in exploring poetic and figurative language and key themes from the text with their class.
The Education Pack for Overheard in a Tower Block will be available soon.
View the Visual Story for Overheard in a Tower Block here.
Tickets for school groups are £7 for each adult and each child, or £8.50 for fee-paying schools and nurseries. These rates are only available on weekdays before 3pm during Islington term time. Free adult tickets are available for children who need 1:1 support.
Before requesting a booking, please check dates, times and availability here. Maximum school capacity for this show is 85 people per performance.
Please fill in our school booking enquiry form here.
Download our information for undertaking a risk assessment for school visits here.
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All amounts are welcome. Thank you!
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Performances
All tickets £10 at 4.45pm
All tickets £10 at 4.45pm
All tickets £10 at 4.45pm
Relaxed Performance
Relaxed performances are provided for people who would benefit from a more relaxed environment, including those with an Autistic Spectrum Condition, sensory or communication needs or a learning disability.
No online booking, please call 020 7226 1787
All tickets £10 at 4.45pm
This performance is only on sale to schools
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
To book for a school group, please CLICK HERE to complete the school booking enquiry form
This performance is currently only on sale to schools. If you would like to be notified if this performance goes on sale to the public you can join our waiting list here
All tickets £10 at 4.45pm
BSL Interpreted Performance
These performances are provided for those who use British Sign Language. The interpreter will be at the front of the stage and lit with a spotlight. They will provide a linguistic and artistic interpretation of the show for people who are D/deaf or for whom BSL is their preferred language.
These performances are open to all, but if no-one in your party is specifically looking for BSL interpretation, please consider booking at another time to allow these tickets to go to those who would most benefit.
All tickets £10 at 4.45pm