No Mean Street - Paperback

by Paul Boakye (Author)

No Mean Street is a powerful physical drama set in the heart of Black British urban street culture. Using explicit language, rap music, and dance, it follows Arlington, an arrogant young homeboy whose confidence begins to unravel after he is diagnosed with HIV.

Arlington's diagnosis forces him to confront more than his own mortality. There is Jean, the girlfriend he has taken for granted, and their young son Marcus. As the life he thought he controlled begins to fall apart, Arlington has to consider what kind of partner and father he has been, and whether facing death might finally make him take responsibility for the people closest to him.

The play challenges assumptions about masculinity, sex, relationships, and HIV. Was Arlington really as untouchable as he believed? Can knowing that his own life may be shortened make him a better father to Marcus and a better partner to Jean?

First produced in 1993 by Kuffdem Theatre Company and Red Ladder Theatre, No Mean Street was written for Black young audiences at the height of Britain's HIV/AIDS epidemic.