What does it mean to be mixed race in this day and age? That is the question being posed by Leyton writer Lynette Linton in her new play #Hashtag Lightie at the Arcola Theatre, in Dalston.
The story follows Ella, a mixed race 16-year-old who is popular and addicted to social media. Her Youtube channel gives make-up tips, opinions, and videos of her eccentric family. However, one of her videos goes viral and Ella finds herself in the centre of a social media storm that results in a family fallout and changes her perception of identity and beauty…
As well as being a playwright, Lynette is also the associate director for The Gate Theatre, in Notting Hill and will be directing Assata Taught Me by Kalungi Ssebandeke in May.
Her current show #Hashtag Lightie will be touring round schools in Waltham Forest from February 6 to February 9, in a bid to encourage young people to explore their identity.
The 27-year-old, who attended Connaught School For Girls in Waltham Forest and Leyton Sixth Form, in Essex Road, before studying English at the University of Essex, explains why she believes it is important that young people think carefully before posting personal information online…
Lynette says: “When I was growing up, there weren’t many shows like this in the borough, so I wanted to tour it round schools in Waltham Forest as hopefully it will resonate with people who use social media or may question their identity.
“I like looking at society and the identities of people – particularly in areas like East London. I like social commentary and although the play links to my own experiences, it mostly focuses on other people’s stories.
“We did two focus groups, and I just felt that everyone has their own experiences and struggles and nobody should just be put into one category.”
Lynette chose to name the title of the play after a slang term aimed at mixed race girls who are deemed attractive with light skin.
She says: “I chose the title for the play as I wanted to write about mixed race identity. I was also struck by the fact that the term was being used so much and decided to dig a little deeper.
“A lot of people who use that term will know straight away what it means and so I thought it would also be interesting to find out more from pupils themselves when touring round the schools.
“The show is not about raising awareness about the term, but rather looking at conversations around identity and what it means to be a young mixed race person in Britain today.”
Lynette has plenty of advice for young people who may feel overwhelmed by the internet and the daunting world of social media.
She says: “In terms of giving advice to people who use social media, I think it is important to realise that what you put out there is out forever, everyone is seeing it and that you should be aware of what you post. Nothing is private anymore.
“However, it is not just young people who are affected by the consequences of the internet. The internet hasn’t been around that long and so we are still just trying to get to grips with it- we may not even know just how powerful it is for another 20 or 30 years.
“Perhaps things just need to be monitored more. I did a play a few years ago called Step, which looked at the story of a young girl who had a naked picture of her posted online by her boyfriend. Although she is now in her twenties, she is still haunted by what happened, as it is still out there. How do you deal with something like that?”
#Hashtag Lightie, Arcola Theatre, Ashwin Street, Dalston, E8 3DL, Tuesday, January 31 to Saturday, February 4, 3.30pm, 8pm, details: arcolatheatre.com
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