Popping-in?

Our studio is filled with light and music.
There are multiple meeting rooms, a well stocked kitchen, and an indoor garden (with fishpond). Talk to us about access needs, environmental factors and any accommodations we might make to enhance your visit. Pop-in for tea and stay to use a spare desk for as long as you need.

11 Greenwich Centre Business Park,
53 Norman Road, Greenwich
London SE10 9QF

Cog is a Certified B Corporation

Public transport

We’re next to Greenwich train and DLR station. We have a door right on the concourse but it’s different to our postal address.

From Greenwich rail platform

This video shows the route to take from the train that will arrive at Greenwich rail station from London Bridge. There's a gentle slope next to the staircase.

From Greenwich DLR station

This video shows the route to take from the DLR that will arrive at Greenwich DLR station from Bank. There's a lift at the platform level if that's useful.

By car

If you have to come by car, we have a couple of parking spaces. We have a charging point that you are welcome to use if you have an electric car. Call ahead and we'll make sure the spaces are free. Use our postcode (SE10 9QF) to guide you in.

Get in touch

We’d love to hear from you. Use whichever medium works best for you.

11 Greenwich Centre Business Park,
53 Norman Road, Greenwich
London SE10 9QF

Cog is a Certified B Corporation

New project enquiry

It's exciting to chat about potential new projects. We don't have a ‘sales’ team or a form to fill in. Call us or give us a little detail via email and we'll get straight back to you.

enquiry@cogdesign.com

Website support

If you're a client then you'll be best served by calling us or contacting us via ClickUp, otherwise you can use this dedicated email that reaches all of the digital team.

digital@cogdesign.com

Finance questions

This email hits the inboxes of the people who deal with our bookkeeping and finances.

accounts@cogdesign.com

Just want a chat?

Sometimes enquiries don't fall neatly under a heading, do they?

hello@cogdesign.com

Cultural Calendar

A round-up of recommendations and reviews, sent on the first Friday of each month, topped-off with a commissioned image from a talented new illustrator. Sign-up and tell your friends.

Sign me up Cultural Calendar

Cog News

An irregular update of activity from our studio. Showing off about great new projects, announcements, job opportunities, that sort of thing. Sign-up and tell your friends.

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Queens of Sheba at Soho Theatre

Queens of Sheba at Soho Theatre

Another month, another Cog Night! This time we’re back, once again, to our usual haunt of Soho Theatre catching the award-winning and Edinburgh Fringe favourite Queens of Sheba.

Any avid reader of our cultural reviews will know we are no stranger to the Soho Theatre, we have attended many events here long before and after we launched their website back in 2017.

A busy looking Soho Theatre bar before the show A busy looking Soho Theatre bar before the show

Known for bringing attention to exciting new work, it’s always a joy to experience something a little different when you attend a show here.

Our night began with the welcome, and now somewhat rare, sight of a packed-out bar, bustling with excited theatre-goers ready for an evening’s entertainment.

We ascended the stairs to the main theatre space, and into a ‘sold out’ auditorium – on a Monday night, in February! The Queens of Sheba evidently draw the crowds.

The Cog team enjoying a pre-show drink in the Soho Theatre bar The Cog team enjoying a pre-show drink in the Soho Theatre bar
We head up the stairs of the Soho Theatre to find our seats We head up the stairs of the Soho Theatre to find our seats

As writers, Jessica L. Hagan & Ryan Calais Cameron tell us, the show’s storyline is a response to the Dstrkt nightclub incident that caught the headlines back in 2015. A group of black women were turned away from the nightclub for being too “dark” and “overweight”.

Using that incident acting as the jumping-off point, the production strays away from any traditional narrative and instead playfully jumps between acted scenes, spoken word and raucous song.

Asking a great deal from its talented cast – Elisha Robin, Eshe Asante, Kokoma Kwaku & Tosin Alabi – who morph into wildly differing characters throughout the production. Applying buckets of humour and hard-hitting sincerity, the cast explores the continued racist and sexist treatment of black women in everyday professional and social environments.

Queens of Sheba poster in the window of the Soho Theatre Queens of Sheba poster in the window of the Soho Theatre

The story begins in an office setting where white co-workers criticise their new black colleague for being too “hostile” or persistently wanting to touch their hair or learn how to twerk. Then onto a first date with a white man who makes fetishising comments about loving “exotic girls with plump lips” and relentlessly asking “where are you from…from?”

With each new scene, the cast cleverly transformed through extreme physicality and scarily accurate impressions, sending the engaged audience into fits of laughter and confirmed applause.

Carefully considered throughout the story, the Queens repeated poetic mantras that rose up against those that oppressed them.

They ask me where I am from! I say I am a mix. Of both racism and sexism – they lay equally on my skin. Passed down unknowingly by my next of kin.
Queens of Sheba

Not afraid of hard truths, the queens gave frank and cutting commentary on the misogyny experienced from within the black community itself. Providing deeply emotional interludes between the laughter.

Never too sporadic, the writing always allowed the room to breathe and gave ample space for reflection on what was being told. The cast could revel in moments of silence and confidently pick us up again to navigate us through to the next scene.

I love my abuser. He comes in many forms; the smooth and soft sounds of Drake – he cheats on me and then sings about it.
Queens of Sheba

Scoring the entire production were a cappella renditions of pop songs by black artists. The Queens beautifully harmonised each song as they roused each other’s spirits resulting in chorus-like joy, clapping and dance moves.

Songs like ‘Proud Mary’ and ‘Respect’ took on a more profound and deeper meaning as they were nestled between tales of mistreatment and hurt.

The soundtrack was so well curated that our team were referencing these amazing songs all week – so much so that we created a Spotify playlist of those artists and others inspired by this production.

The music has echoed around our design studio for the last few days, we hope you enjoy it too.

This 55-minute play was clear, sharp and articulate – giving the much-needed platform and space for black female voices.

The week-long run at the Soho Theatre was completely sold out and it’s clear to see why.


Illustration by [NAME] for our Cultural Calendar.