You in Your Small Corner

Synopsis

A dimly lit bedsit in 1960s Brixton, where race and class tensions simmer beneath the surface

Dave, a young, intellectual Jamaican man from a middle-class background, finds himself caught between two worlds while staying with his aunt in Brixton before heading to Cambridge University. In Barry Reckord’s You in Your Small Corner, Dave becomes romantically involved with Terry, a white working-class woman, sparking a relationship that challenges social norms and exposes deep-seated prejudices.

As Dave and Terry navigate their burgeoning romance, they confront the intersections of race and class in 1960s London. Dave’s mother, disapproving of Terry’s background, exerts pressure on her son, highlighting the complexities of internalised classism within the West Indian community. Reckord’s play offers a nuanced exploration of identity, social mobility, and the personal cost of prejudice, set against the backdrop of a changing Britain grappling with its colonial legacy.