Lauryn Ajufo Will Lead CHEWING GUM DREAMS at Theatre503
Anthony Simpson-Pike directs the tiata fahodzi co-production of Michaela Coel's debut play.
BIFA-nominated actor Lauryn Ajufo will play Tracey Gordon in Theatre503's revival of Michaela Coel's landmark debut Chewing Gum Dreams, stepping into the role originally performed by Coel herself. Opening in September, the production launches a new Theatre503 strand that celebrates the power of debut plays and marks the theatre's first partnership with tiata fahodzi. Performances will run 10 September - 10 October 2026.
One of the UK's most exciting young actors, Lauryn Ajufo was named a 2022 Screen International Star of Tomorrow and received a British Independent Film Award nomination for her performance in Boiling Point. Lauryn recently joined the cast for the second series of Dreaming While Black (BBC/Showtime), starred in the feature film Luther: Fallen Son and played series leads in Netflix's Everything Now and Tell Me Everything. Her recent stage credits include the Royal Court's critically acclaimed production of John Proctor is a Villain, as the character, Nell.
Acclaimed as the home of debut playwrights, Theatre503 is the UK's only theatre dedicated to staging first plays. Through this new strand, it will revisit seminal debuts that reshaped contemporary British theatre. Chewing Gum Dreams introduced Michaela Coel as a remarkable new writing talent and remains a vital work in the contemporary canon. The play was originally developed by The Yard Theatre in association with the Bush Theatre in 2012 before transferring to The Shed at The National Theatre in 2014.
This major new production is directed by Theatre503's Artistic Director, Anthony Simpson-Pike. An award-winning director, dramaturg and writer, Anthony's credits include Donbas for Theatre503, the Olivier-Award winning The P Word and Lava (nominated for Best Director at the Black British Theatre Awards) at the Bush Theatre, Drama Desk Award-winning Grenfell: in the words of survivors at The National Theatre / St Anne's Warehouse, New York, and An Octoroon at The Abbey Theatre, Dublin (nominated for Best Production at the Irish Times Theatre Awards).
The production's creative team includes Yimei Zhao as Set and Costume Designer (Porn Play, Royal Court), Christopher Nairne as Lighting Designer (The Real Ones, Bush Theatre), Xana as Sound Designer (Alterations, National Theatre), Heather Basten CDG as Casting Director (The Harder They Come, Stratford East), and Theophilus O. Bailey as Movement Director (For Black Boys…, West End).
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