Mantra: Hip-hop beatboxer Marv Radio brings his one-man hip-hop musical to Offbeat Festival

Join beatbox champion, vocalist and storyteller Marv Radio for a high-energy hip-hop musical about mental health, music, healing and shamanism with a powerful self-produced soundtrack.

Mantra is a show like no other with a performer like no other. Three-times Team UK Beatbox Champion Marv immerses the audience in an immersive storytelling adventure that will take you to other worlds.

Weaving together his own stories based on his journey through life, hip hop and spirituality, Marv’s Mantra combines the mediums of rapping, beatboxing, storytelling, movement and improvisation skills to change the way we think about beatbox, spoken word and theatre.

Incorporating audience interaction, Mantra is theatre that isn’t scared to break the fourth wall. Marv tells his story, reminding us of the impermanence and vulnerability in life, in death and in the moment.

Taking us with him on his journey of mental health struggles, a suicide attempt, falling off a mountain, being guided by music, learning about meditation, travelling to The Amazon and eventually learning the healing power of sound, Marv shares his darkest and lightest moments in a playful, light-hearted but hard-hitting way.

A groundbreaking musician and sonic scientist, Marv has been hacking his own voice to use as a tool for music, art and therapy for over 18 years.

He is known for his out-of-this-world live music and theatre shows where he combines beatboxing, live looping, singing and rap to make high energy motivational hip hop.

With experience performing in festivals and venues such as Glastonbury, Bestival, Shambala, Lovebox, The O2, Sadler’s Wells, The Barbican and The British Library, Marv is the co-founder and co-host of Hip-Hop Palace, which recently took Underbelly South Bank by storm.

He has also been selected as one of Sound Connections 2019’s New Voices, being chosen from hundreds of applicants to be supported in creating new and exciting musical works with financial, organisational and mentor Support.

With a music, theatre and performance background, he sets every stage on fire with dynamic, varied and exciting world-class performances with a message of liberation for the audience

His message is simple: it is time for humans to embrace the fullness of who they are and take responsibility for their own lives while transforming into our greatest selves.

His beatbox beats are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, his use of a loop station to create live songs and soundscapes is mesmerising and his ability to channel pre-written and improvised songs is uplifting and inspiring.

This one-man theatre project is also set to be made into an album, graphic novel and animated short film in the making.

* Mantra is part of the ongoing Offbeat festival at the Oxford Playhouse and Old Fire Station.

• See Marv Radio’s Mantra on Saturday at 5.30pm at the BT Studio, Oxford Playhouse. Tickets from offbeatoxford.co.uk