Shona Babayemi News

A life coach and his struggling daughter embark on a journey to find their Irish roots. Each of them is running away from something. Joy, who is exceedingly against the idea of leaving for an unplanned trip with her father, is going through a bad breakup; Winston, overly chatty and intrusive, is trying to forget the lawsuit that threatens his so-called career. Nancy Farino’s debut play tries hard to be profound. It looks into how our need for connection is the answer to many of our problems, but – much like its characters – it doesn’t know how to communicate its ideas. Directed by Tessa Walker, Fatherland might as well be a pedestrian radio drama.

My advice would be to don’t stop working on that thing. Whatever that writing project is. Feel free to become frustrated and put it away for a few weeks but keep it ticking away. I believe it’s immeasurably important for emerging writers - it is these spaces that shape the play, where mistakes can happen and solutions be found, without the pressure of a deadline or a looming opening night or financial stress. (On that note, we open 31 October at The Hampstead Theatre, please come?!)

Hampstead Theatre has announced the cast and creative team for the world premiere of Fatherland – a sharp, tender and darkly funny new play about the chaos of connection by Nancy Farino directed by Tessa Walker.

Clean Break introduces Nubian CoheARTs as the first ever Associate Company in its history. The relationship will include access to free rehearsal space, training, support from Clean Break’s artistic team, and opportunities to R&D its work with audiences.

Polite Society features a cast led by and introducing Priya Kansara (Bridgerton, Half Bad), Ritu Arya (Red Notice, The Umbrella Academy), Shobu Kapoor (We are Lady Parts), Ella Bruccoleri (Call the Midwife), Seraphina Beh (Top Boy), Shona Babayemi, Nimra Bucha (Ms. Marvel), Jeff Mirza (We Are Lady Parts), and Akshay Khanna (Chloe).

The Globe’s Artistic Director Michelle Terry has not had the easiest start to her tenure. Until a few weeks ago, she had not put on a live show since last March. Happily, with the summer season now in full swing and Groundling tickets returned, she now stars in the theatre’s joyful new production of Twelfth Night.

Shakespeare’s comedy of mistaken identity, music and the madness of love, Twelfth Night, finds new life in the Globe Theatre for the Summer 2021 season.

One of London’s most venerated theatres, Shakespeare's Globe has re-opened its doors with Sean Holmes’s gaudy 2019 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. With staggered entrance slots and social distance protocols in place, the Globe itself feels it too. The groundlings are masked now (as is the audience as a whole) and are seated on scattered chairs while the actors wear face coverings when they walk among them.

Shakespeare's Globe is preparing to reopen its outdoor theatre on 19 May 2021. Provided the conditions are met for Step 3 of the Government's roadmap for cultural reopening, the Globe will be welcoming audiences in for socially distanced performances, having closed on 18 March 2020.

Alice Birch's [BLANK] comprises 100 scenes, any number of which can be selected and performed in any order a?" it's all in the hands of the creative team. For Maria Aberg's production at the Donmar Warehouse, an all-female company has been cast and 22 of the scenes have been pulled together. The common thread between all of the scenes is the experience of women in the criminal justice system, whether they work for it, are in prison themselves, or are victims of crime.

Alice Birch's heartbreaking new play reaches across society to explore the impact of the criminal justice system on women and their families.

The Donmar Warehouse and Clean Break today announce full casting for the world premiere of [BLANK] a new play by Alice Birch. Directed by Maria Aberg, full casting includes Ayesha Antoine, Shona Babayemi, Sophia Brown, Jackie Clune, Grace Doherty, Lucy Edkins, Zaris-Angel Hator, Zainab Hasan, Joanna Horton, Thusitha Jayasundera, Petra Letang, Leah Mondesir-Simmonds, Kate O'Flynn, Ashna Rabheru, Jemima Rooper and Taya Tower.

As part of the launch of the Mayor of London's Winter Homelessness Fundraising Campaign, award-winning theatre company Cardboard Citizens will perform Rising by Femi Keeling in the Council Chamber of London's City Hall on Today 27 November at 7.00pm. It will be livestreamed to the public for free, from www.cardboardcitizens.org.uk/RisingLive and from the City of London website www.london.gov.uk. Viewers can comment and contribute to the debate from the Cardboard Citizens website, and by tweeting using the hashtag #CitzRising

As part of the launch of the Mayor of London's Winter Homelessness Fundraising Campaign, award-winning theatre company Cardboard Citizens will perform Rising by Femi Keeling in the Council Chamber of London's City Hall on Tuesday 27 November at 7.00pm. It will be livestreamed to the public for free, from www.cardboardcitizens.org.uk/RisingLive and from the City of London website www.london.gov.uk. Viewers can comment and contribute to the debate from the Cardboard Citizens website, and by tweeting using the hashtag #CitzRising

Cardboard Citizens Theatre Company will tour Femi Keeling's new Forum Theatre play Rising to hostels, prisons, day centres, refuges, and youth centres across London throughout November, as part of its outreach programme working with people most at risk of, or affected by, homelessness.

Cardboard Citizens Theatre Company will tour Femi Keeling's new Forum Theatre play Rising to hostels, prisons, day centres, refuges, and youth centres across London throughout November, as part of its outreach programme working with people most at risk of, or affected by, homelessness.