Interview: "I'm a Bit of a Creative Magpie" Isabel Adomakoh Young, the First Guest Artistic Director of THE TAKEOVER: SIGHT UNSEEN

Isabel Adomakoh Young is the first Guest Artistic Director for "The Takeover" at the King's Head. Isabel is a co-creator of PECS Drag Kings, AIM "Best Independent Festival" Brainchild and the bestselling Lionboy book trilogy which was adapted & toured by Complicité. Isabel also starred as Juliet in Regent's Park Open Air Theatre's recent production of Romeo & Juliet where she won a BBTA award for her performance.

BroadwayWorld spoke to her about what the audience can expect from The Takeover, how directing enhances skillset, and the importance of celebrating successes.

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You're stepping up as Guest Artistic Director for the inaugural season of "The Takeover" at The King's Head Theatre. Tell us about the season you've curated.

With pleasure - during Sight Unseen, audiences will be wooed by drag kings, exhilarated by new writing, entertained by a trans autobiography and challenged by a chimney. Starting at our iconic pub theatre, we will travel from a doorstep in Dublin to a lecture hall in 1900s Sierra Leone, and from a Muslim auntie's front room to an underground sex club, via the queue for the Queen's coffin. While their content may be diverse, what unites these pieces is unique viewpoint, authentic voice and respect for the sanctity of a great night out!

There's a wonderful mix of comedy, drag, drama and satire in your season. Was that variety always an important factor to you when putting it together?

Very much so. I'm a bit of a creative magpie - I love the way juxtaposing different works can help shed a new light on both. Also, as I had a relatively short time to put the season together I wanted not to impose any unnecessary restrictions, so as to be able to prioritise quality above all. It's amazing how the space can transform in a short time - some show changeovers are only 20 minutes!

Is there a particular piece you're really excited for audiences to see, or hope that they really embrace as something new that they may not have seen before?

As a drag king I'm always keen to bring that to new audiences; even as some types of drag queening becomes more mainstream, society has a way to go in encountering and appreciating kings. So The Bitten Peach's King Dynasty will be great for that. I'd also encourage non-industry audiences to give scratch nights a try. We have a set of short pieces called It Takes Two that will break your heart and make you laugh. Think of it as watching TikTok instead of a feature film!

Leading on from that, what do you want your audience to take away from your season, and perhaps think about in relation to the industry more generally?

I'm aware that the King's Head team chose me for the job because of my theatre background. That's spanned from immersive to gay clubs to the Royal Shakespeare Company, and I've learned something from every show I've participated in. People view our industry as a hierarchy of quality, from small spaces to big ones, less known artists to stars, and I'd really like to reframe that. Amazing ideas and phenomenal talent come at all scales - Sight Unseen is a testament to that.

You've performed at the King's Head Theatre as part of their 50th birthday celebrations. How does it feel to be back just a year later as an Artistic Director?

I was so honoured. Having been on the stage only added to my sense of what a special space it is. I was delighted at the opportunity to bring in some of my community and artists I admire, but also to get to know the theatre's cultures and audiences. It was a chance to test my potential as a tastemaker and nurturer of talent in addition to my acting career - I'm grateful they saw that in me before I could.

The venue is known for its intimacy - how does that lend itself to the season you've created, and the creative process?

The reason the intimacy is so exciting is not only that every seat in the house gets the front-row experience, but that it can have such varied effects. I've seen moments of deep warmth and comfort, which will likely come out in a piece like Auntie's House, where a Muslim woman invites gay men into her home in the 1950s, but also moments where you feel very confronted and challenged, and there's no getting away. Some parts of Cow, a trans woman's perspective on womanhood and queerness, will have that exhilarating and necessary effect. With such a direct view of the audience too, performances will grow and evolve rapidly - it's a two way street. Works in progress like Hotter's The Last Show Before We Die will draw on that to great effect.

You're the first Guest Artistic Director to take part in "The Takeover" - there are four of you each from different backgrounds in terms of the disciplines you've pursued in your careers. What would you say your style and vision is like, and what advice would you pass onto to other aspiring directors and creatives?

For Sight Unseen, my curation priorities were reframing and fresh angles, ambitious play with form, imaginative use of language, and unheard stories and erased communities. I suspect those will remain my creative principles. I'm early on my curation journey but across the projects I've co-founded like Brainchild Festival and Pecs Drag Kings, I'd say my touchstones have been collaboration, courage and curiosity. I'm less interested in dictating a solo vision and more in learning what's present already, asking questions, shaping and guiding. As much as bringing out the good in the room, I always try to ask who isn't in the room and why.

As for advice, I'd say don't be shy! Shout about your work and your achievements, because you can trust that other people will be shouting about theirs. Create relationships where you back one another. It can be a lonely industry and a boost from someone you rate will keep morale high and hopefully get you both some work/ audiences. See other people's work and think critically about what you liked, what you'd do differently. Be agile; if you don't have money, how can time help you? No time? How can community help you? Most importantly, think of yourself as part of an industry you can both benefit from, and change for the better.

Isabel's season: Sight Unseen runs from until 16 April, as part of The Takeover at Kings' Head Theatre

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