NO PHOTOS – A RAW AND RHYTHMIC ONE-MAN SPOKEN WORD THEATRE SHOW
Ryan Dre Sinclair proudly presents NO PHOTOS, a raw and rhythmic one-man theatre show exploring the social anxiety of a young man who avoids having his photo taken. This multidisciplinary performance is an exploration of memory, identity, and the generational trauma we carry.
Audiences are invited to laugh, reflect, and possibly rethink how they view the camera lens and themselves. Using humour, and rhyme, NO PHOTOS, is a captivating journey through childhood, self-acceptance and inherited silence.
The show follows the protagonist as he masks his fears behind jokes, denial and silence. As he unpacks childhood expectations, digital pressure, and emotional inheritance, we witness a journey toward self-acceptance and the unexpected healing power of images and media. Written and performed by Ryan Dre Sinclair, this powerful new work uses poetry as performance, inviting audiences to question not just how we present ourselves to the lens, but what it really means to be witnessed.
Currently touring across the UK No Photos will open at Camden People’s Theatre on Thursday 28 April, and then go on to Fisher Gate Point on Friday 8 May, Old Joint Stock Theatre on Thursday 28 May, Watford Palace Theatre on Friday 10th July 2026, Salford Arts Theatre on Friday 24th July, Nottingham Playhouse on Saturday 10 October, and Exeter Northcott Theatre on Thursday 4 March 2027.
No Photos is a spoken word theatre show blending humour, poetry, and storytelling to explore social anxiety, self-image, and visibility. Following a young man who avoids the camera, the piece unpacks identity, masculinity, and emotional inheritance. Moving between wit and vulnerability, it invites audiences to reflect on what it means to be seen and truly witnessed.
Not everything we hide stays hidden.
The production’s creative team includes Matthew Parker, a Birmingham-based lighting designer known for creating bold, atmospheric designs across theatre and family entertainment. His recent credits include The King Stone (2026), Beauty and the Beast (2026), Magical Merlin (2025), and The Good Landlord (2025). Desree (she/they) joins the team as director and dramaturg, marking her directorial debut. A London and Slough–based award-winning spoken word artist and writer, her theatre 2
writing credits include Angry Black Woman (2018), CROWDED (2019), and the stage adaptation of The Comet by Joe Todd-Stanton (2025). Her debut poetry collection, Altar (Bad Betty 2025), was shortlisted for the Forward Poetry Prize for Best First Collection. Helen Culcutt, Artistic Director of the dance-theatre company Beyond Words, leads movement choreography. Culcutt’s choreographic practice spans theatre, opera, site-responsive performance, large-scale productions, and television. She has been commissioned by leading organisations including Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham Opera Company, Apple TV, the BBC, Total Insight Theatre, Def Motion, and Dundu. Sound designer Simone Carty is a Brighton and London–based sound recordist and composer who records sound and composes music for film, television, branded content, and theatre. She is a trusted collaborator to production companies and agencies, with credits including the BBC, Netflix, Sky, Amazon, and TLC.
An audience member wrote: “Powerful. Real. Vulnerable. Needed”
Another audience member wrote: “Such an honest look at being a Black man today. It made me laugh, reflect, and actually think about my phone usage”
Written and performed by Ryan Dre Sinclair, produced by Desree and Nakila Rochester, Lighting Design by Matthew Parker Productions, Movement Directed by Helen Culcutt, Directed and Dramaturgy by Desree, Sound Designed by Simone Carty.
Ryan Dre Sinclair presents; NO PHOTOS which has been funded by Arts Council England.
NO PHOTOS is on sale now
linktr.ee/nophotosplay
