Callie Cooke, Tahirah Sharif and Phaldut Sharma to Reprise Roles in FIREBIRD at Trafalgar Studios

BroadwayWorld is excited to report that Callie Cooke, Tahirah Sharif and Phaldut Sharma will reprise their roles in Phil Davies' debut play, FIREBIRD, following a run at Hampstead Downstairs last autumn.

FIREBIRD opens at Trafalgar Studios this February (Feb 22), in association with The Children's Society, and is directed by Edward Hall, Hampstead Theatre's Artistic Director.

FIREBIRD is Callie Cooke's debut stage appearance having recently graduated from The Arts Education School. She stars alongside Tahirah Sharif (Moon on a Rainbow Shawl (National Theatre), Waterloo Road (BBC)) and Phaldut Sharma (Ramayan (Lyric Hammersmith), EastEnders (BBC)).

Responding to nationwide cases of child sexual exploitation throughout Britain, including those in Davies' hometown of Rochdale, FIREBIRD shows how easy it can be for vulnerable young people to fall victim to sexual abuse.

Tia's mouthy attitude and confident swagger hide a vulnerable teenager whose tough start in life dangerously draws her to AJ. Older, good-looking and charismatic, AJ shows her a kindness she's never known before. But this kindness comes at a price.

The play powerfully dramatises how the innocent are all too often failed by the authorities who are meant to protect them. FIREBIRD is a story of hope - unfortunately based on truth.

Matthew Reed, Chief Executive of The Children's Society, says, When we first saw FIREBIRD at Hampstead Downstairs, we were bowled over. Its power to highlight the brutal reality that child victims of this crime face and that our services across the country deal with every day is remarkable. It is fantastic that the play is opening in the Trafalgar Studios, which will help raise awareness about this terrible truth.

Throughout the play's run, Parliament will be debating The Policing and Criminal Justice Bill. This vital legislation has the potential to increase the ability to tackle child sexual exploitation and provide children and young people who are at risk, or have been victims of this crime, with more protection. The Children's Society will be campaigning for changes to the bill to improve how these children are helped.

This production is part of 'Hampstead Downstairs at the Trafalgar Studios' following Four Minutes Twelve Seconds by James Fritz and The Wasp by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm.

Callie Cooke trained at The Arts Educational School, graduating in July 2015. Theatre work whilst training includes The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Harvest. Callie was an entrant in the 2015 Carlton Hobbs Award. FIREBIRD is her first professional stage appearance.

Tahirah Sharif trained at Identity Drama School. Theatre work includes Moon On A Rainbow Shawl (National Theatre and UK tour); Arabian Nights (Tricycle Theatre); Crawling In The Dark (Almeida) and In His Image (Hampstead Theatre). Film work includes The Invisible Woman and See Me. Television work includes Waterloo Road; Casualty; Doctors; Whitechapel and One Night.

Phaldut Sharma - Theatre work includes Boiling Frogs (Factory Theatre); Ramayan Lyric (Lyric Hammersmith/WYP/Bristol Old Vic); Macbeth (Phoebus Cart); Honk (Stephen Joseph Theatre); Sparkle Shark (National Theatre); Metropolis Kabarett (National Theatre) and Rat Pack Confidential (Whitehall Theatre/Nottingham Playhouse). Film work includes Gravity; Children Of Men; It Was An Accident; A-Z; The Drop and Wild Justice. Television work includes Cuffs; Cucumber; EastEnders; Hunted; The Office; Gavin & Stacey; Spooks; Silent Witness; Home Time; Life On Mars; Clocking Off; Bodies; Dalziel & Pascoe; Whatever It Takes; Swiss Toni; Meet The Magoons; Casualty; Roger Roger; What You Lookin' At?; The Bench and Ultimate Force.

Downstairs, beneath Hampstead Theatre's Main Stage, lies an intimate 90 seat studio theatre that is solely dedicated to producing new writing. Since opening in 2010, Hampstead Downstairs has produced over 40 new plays. Hampstead Downstairs' mission is to identify and develop new plays and produce them in a sheltered environment, giving writers a unique chance to develop their work through rehearsal and preview. Downstairs allows writers maximum creative flexibility to develop their craft in a practical way through production and exposure to a paying audience. Much of the work from Downstairs goes on to open formally in other spaces. This has included Hampstead Main Stage, Trafalgar Studios, the Edinburgh Festival, the West End and more recently the internet as part of Hampstead's pioneering free streaming program.

FIREBIRD is Phil Davies's debut full-length play. Other theatre work includes short plays How Not To Murder (Arcola Theatre); Up The Dale (Royal Exchange Theatre/Queen Elizabeth Hall for Paines Plough); Adjusted (Interplay Europe) and The Makings (ATG). Phil trained at the Royal Court Young Writers Programme where he developed his first script Adjusted which won the Rod Hall Memorial Award and gained him an attachment with Paines Plough. Most recently Phil has been working alongside Synergy Theatre Project developing scripts with inmates at Feltham Young Offenders Institution, as well as teaching in a secondary school in South East London.

As Artistic Director of Hampstead Theatre, Edward Hall's productions include FIREBIRD, Wonderland; Sunny Afternoon; Raving; Chariots of Fire; No Naughty Bits; Loyalty and Enlightenment. He is currently directing David Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, Rabbit Hole, which previews on 29 January. Television includes Partners in Crime; Restless; Downton Abbey; Strike Back; Spooks; Kingdom; Trial and Retribution; Miss Marple - Sleeping Murder; Cutting Edge: Safari Strife and Richard III.

The Children's Society is a national charity that runs local services, helping children and young people when they are at their most vulnerable, and have nowhere left to turn. We also campaign for changes to laws affecting children and young people, to stop the mistakes of the past being repeated in the future. Our supporters around the country fund our services and join our campaigns to show children and young people they are on their side. The Children's Society is one of the UK's leading charities fighting child sexual exploitation. It works to support the victims of this crime, prevent more children from being abused and campaigns to tackle the problem head on. Every day, through its frontline workers in communities across the country, The Children's Society helps thousands of children who have been sexually exploited or who are at risk of abuse. More information can be found at www.childrenssociety.org.uk/firebird.

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