DEAR ANNIE, I HATE YOU Comes to London in May
Performances run Wednesday 7th May – Monday 1st June 2025.
Following its sell-out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2024, Dear Annie, I Hate You is set to make its London debut at Riverside Studios for a limited four week run. Shortlisted for the BBC Popcorn Writing Award, Dear Annie, I Hate You is based on the true story of writer-performer Sam Ipema who, on the discovery of a brain aneurysm, was told she might be dying at the age of 20.
Brought to life by Wild Geese Productions in association with HFH Productions, Dear Annie, I Hate You takes the audience on a journey from Sam’s early childhood to her potentially terminal diagnosis. From spring break right up to a live brain surgery, this is an honest and darkly funny exploration of navigating the world after a life-changing moment which forces Sam to reconsider what she holds dear.
In this heartfelt show, Sam’s brain aneurysm takes the form of ‘Annie’ – the straight-talking stream of consciousness she keeps shielded from the world. Using immersive sound design by Olivier-nominated Dan Balfour, the staging will echo the liminal space of the brain. This production will be a significant upscale from the critically acclaimed fringe show, as the team employ multi-media elements to depict Sam’s experience in a visceral way.
This very human story is uniquely true for creator and performer, Ipema. Based on her lived experiences, Sam’s real family appear as characters in recorded videos, with a special focus on Micah, her brother with Down’s syndrome. Dear Annie, I Hate You looks to pay homage to the different types of disabilities that individuals live with.
Through this darkly comical exploration of Sam’s health, the company hope to raise awareness and provide support for those living with chronic or life-altering conditions. The production is staged in partnership with Headway East London and Headway West London, two fantastic charities that support individuals affected by, and living with, brain injuries. Riverside Studios’ gallery and foyer will also showcase artworks by individuals with their own lived experience of chronic or life-altering conditions
Dear Annie, I Hate You is writer and creator Samantha Ipema’s stage debut. She will star as Sam alongside Eleanor House (The Secret Life of Bees, Almeida Theatre; Rebus: Long Shadows, Birmingham Rep; Tempest, The Pleasance), in the titular role.
Creatives for the run include director and co-devisor James Meteyard (Electrolyte, UK Tour; Between the Lines, New Diorama; No Man’s Island, The Big House), Olivier Nominated sound designer and co-devisor Dan Balfour (Operation Mincemeat, New Diorama, Dear England, National Theatre; Vanya, Duke of York’s Theatre) and set and lighting designer Hugo Dodsworth (Mariupol, Cockpit Theatre; The Visit, Embassy Theatre; Angels in America, Tobacco Factory Theatre). Movement will be directed by Jade Hackett (Romeo & Juliet, Royal Exchange Theatre; Sylvia, Old Vic; Miss Saigon, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield), with co-video creators Dan Light (Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon, Garrick Theatre; For Tonight, Adelphi Theatre; Your Lie in April, Harold Pinter Theatre) and Douglas Coghlan (CACEROLEO, The Crescent; The Shadow Garden, City Theatre of Gjilan).
Dear Annie, I Hate You was named Sinner’s number one Pick of the Fringe 2024 and won The Stagey Place’s ‘Best New Writing’ and ‘Best Multi-Media Show’ awards.
Creator and cast member Samantha Ipema comments, I think the show has a lot to offer anyone with experience of their own lives suddenly blowing apart and being left with only pieces to put it back together. But it's a call to empower people, most of all, and it’s meant to say that even in the wreckage, there is still something remarkable to be found.
Director and Co-Devisor James Meteyard comments, Dear Annie, I Hate You is a life affirming examination of the impact of a young woman receiving a potentially terminal diagnosis in her early 20s. Sam’s script brings a refreshingly clever, imaginative and entertaining approach to this subject matter, focussing on what’s universal about her experience and causing us to reflect on our own lives. In a world which constantly pulls us away from the present into worries of the past or ambitions of the future, Dear Annie pulls us into the here and now. It’s a hilarious, informative and wonderful way, reminding us that the only thing which exists is the present moment - so seize it.
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