Lambeth Fringe 2026: No Photos – Vaulty Towers, London

Writer: Ryan Dre Sinclair

Director: Desree

No Photos, written and performed by Ryan Dre Sinclair, is a confessional spoken word piece examining how photography can have emotional relevance in an era of fakes, likes, and police facial recognition. Using photos as a central axis on which to spin its verse, No Photos touches on masculinity and race, sickness and emotional vulnerability, social media and conspiracy. Eventually landing on a meaning that is universal, the overall arc of Sinclair’s tale is one that deftly moves from gentle annoyance to valid conspiratorial concerns about the use of online images to control thought. The curve back to a place of acceptance is a slightly bumpier ride but is a welcome relief from a character who at times appears to rage hopelessly against modern society.

No Photos is consistently rhythmic, the verse is by nature poetic, and even when the rhymes are less profound, Sinclair finds depth in everyday language. He is at his best when he starts to flow, but this is often interrupted by the character’s frustration, resulting in unwelcome pauses and sighs in a piece that relies on rhythmic motion.

Also interrupting the piece is Sinclair’s unmotivated movement. He sits then stands, moves furniture without obvious purpose, and places props to use as seats before swiftly abandoning them. While this paints a picture of an exasperated presence, it lacks resonance and emotional meaning and distracts from the language. The conceit of No Photos is that we are all waiting to have our passport picture taken. Yet this holds no stakes over the piece and fizzles into irrelevance quickly. When it returns, it serves little dramatic purpose and is never resolved.

It is clear that the piece typically relies on more technical elements than are present, and while this would likely flesh out the piece more than it presents, it is not a fundamental leg that No Photos stands upon. Instead, it stands upon Sinclair’s text and performance, which have some weaknesses. Nevertheless, the theme is interesting even when the speaker descends into a ‘back in my day’ diatribe. This portion of the play is harder to get on board with, and yet it aptly captures the future that all millennials have coming for them (if they haven’t got there already).

No Photos plays with strong ideas with verse that is, for the most part, engaging. Unfortunately, the performance feels a little too raw to be ready for the stage.

Reviewed on 28 September 2026