YOUNG VIC THEATRE ANNOUNCES
SPRING – AUTUMN 2023 PROGRAMME
- Golden Globe and Olivier Award winner Ruth Wilson will star in the internationally acclaimed epic The Second Woman – one woman, one scene, one hundred men, one electrifying 24-hour performance. The UK premiere at the Young Vic Theatre is co-produced with LIFT, produced in association with Ruth Wilson, created by Nat Randall and Anna Breckon and presented in proud association with House of Oz, 19 to 20 May.
- The UK premiere of Beneatha’s Place, written and directed by Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah, is a blistering satirical drama about history, power and the cost of letting go, inspired by the ground-breaking 1950s civil rights drama A Raisin in the Sun. 27 June to 5 August, with press night 5 July.
- House Father and pioneer of the London Ballroom scene Jay Jay Revlon and award-winning director Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu re-join forces with Taking Part, the Young Vic’s creative engagement department, as the worlds of ballroom and theatre come together in Sundown Kiki Reloaded, in the Maria Theatre from 31 July to 11 August. The acclaimed production will follow the first ever ball at the Young Vic as Jay Jay Revlon x Young Vic Taking Part present THE FABRIC with COLOUR VOGUE BALL on 15 April especially for the Ballroom community.
- untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play, Kimber Lee’s sharply-comic play and winner of the International Award for The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting in 2019, explores identity, invisibility and misrepresentation. A world premiere co-production with Royal Exchange Theatre, Factory International for Manchester International Festival and Headlong, directed by the Royal Exchange’s Co-Artistic Director Roy Alexander Weise, at the Young Vic from 18 September to 4 November, with press night 22 September following a Manchester opening.
- Tribe is a celebration of family in all its forms, combining immersive exhibition and live performance, presented by Taking Part and Community Partner Beth Centre (Women in Prison). It will run in the Maria Theatre from 28 October to 4 November.
- Five Shorts brings together five artists Andrea Ling, Annie Kershaw, Ashen Gupta, Nikhil Vyas and Zoe Templeton-Young and five creative collaborators Olivia Poglio-Nwabali, Jasmin Mandi-Ghomi, Sanjay Lago, Marek Horn and Marina Carr to create five five-minute live performances as part of the Young Vic Creators Program.
- Zinnie Harris’ Further than the Furthest Thing also opens in 2023, from 9 March to 29 April, with press night 16 March. Based on real events on one of the world’s most remote inhabited islands, directed by Genesis Fellow / Young Vic Associate Director Jennifer Tang in a visionary new production starring Jenna Russell, Cyril Nri, Gerald Kyd, Archie Madekwe and Kirsty Rider with live vocals by Shapla Salique.
Kwame Kwei-Armah, Young Vic Theatre Artistic Director, says: “I’m delighted to announce our upcoming shows in the Spring to Autumn 2023 programme at the Young Vic Theatre; a continuation of works about power, revolution and disruption. We are living in revolutionary times where both beauty and hardship lie in the constancy of change and I believe that one of the best guides to help steer us through is art, to enable us to interrogate, to disrupt and to inspire.
“Further than the Furthest Thing explores the impact of globalisation on communities and the need for a climate revolution; The Second Woman challenges power dynamics and defies our expectation of the theatrical artform, revolutionising how we tell stories and push beyond the boundaries of performance through epic event theatre; Beneatha’s Place sits in the revolutionary time of the first wave of independence across Africa, and the battles in modern day academia around whose histories are deemed valid, by whom and when; untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play speaks to the revolution of representation that is happening and must continue in the theatre industry, ensuring this stays at the centre of the Young Vic’s work.
“This theme runs right through to our space at the Young Vic and the revolution inside our own four walls. The Young Vic’s ambitions to be an anti-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary house of art where all our communities are welcomed and can see themselves is brilliantly embodied through Taking Part’s THE FABRIC with COLOUR VOGUE BALL, Sundown Kiki Reloaded, and Tribe. We are proud to create a space for and with the ballroom community in our theatre, providing a platform where our young people and the ballroom community can joyously express themselves.
“At the Young Vic we are driven by bold innovation and the desire to entertain, challenge and captivate audiences in London, across the UK and internationally. These works speak to and inform our approach and we can’t wait to showcase them on our stages.”
Young Vic Theatre presents
FURTHER THAN THE FURTHEST THING
By Zinnie Harris
Directed by Jennifer Tang
Main House
9 March to 29 April
The Young Vic’s first show of 2023 is Further than the Furthest Thing, the multi-award-winning play by Zinnie Harris (Macbeth (an undoing), This Restless House, How To Hold Your Breath), directed by Genesis Fellow / Young Vic Associate Director Jennifer Tang (AI, Mountains: The Dreams of Lily Kwok).
Based on real events, on a remote volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic, the islanders of Tristan da Cunha have lived undisturbed for centuries, defying the swirling currents of modernity. Cut off and exposed to the elements, their survival has created a complex bind with their land. But when one of the inhabitants brings an outsider to the island, their way of life is changed forever.
In the first major London staging of the play in more than 20 years, Jennifer Tang’s visionary interpretation revisits this haunting play through a contemporary lens, interrogating the climate emergency and globalisation.
The company includes: Gerald Kyd (The Seagull, Deep Blue Sea), Archie Madekwe (Midsommar, See), Cyril Nri (Trouble in Mind, The Barbershop Chronicles, The Bill), Kirsty Rider (The Sandman, The Doctor, Nora: A Doll’s House), Olivier Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated Jenna Russell (Fun Home, Piaf), with live vocals by Shapla Salique (No Boundaries).
The creative team is completed by Designer Soutra Gilmour, Lighting Designer Prema Mehta, Sound Designer George Dennis, Video Designer Ian William Galloway, Composer Ruth Chan, Movement Director Ingrid Mackinnon, Voice and Dialect Coach Victoria Woodward, Musical Director Michael Henry, Illusions Designer John Bulleid,and Casting Director Charlotte Sutton CDG.
Relaxed Performances: Wed 5 April, 7.30pm & Sat 8 April, 2.30pm
BSL Performance: Fri 31 March, 7.30pm
Audio Described Performance: Tue 11 April, 7.30pm
Captioned Performance: Thu 13 April, 7.30pm
Socially Distanced Performance: Tue 4 April, 7.30pm
Tickets for Further than the Furthest Thing are on sale now at www.youngvic.org
Jay Jay Revlon x Young Vic Taking Part present
THE FABRIC with COLOUR VOGUE BALL
Maria Theatre
Saturday 15 April
It’s time to go back to the playground and back to fun!
Ballroom is about being creative so Jay Jay Revlon and Young Vic Taking Part are bringing this back in TWENTY TWENTY THREE with THE FABRIC with COLOUR VOGUE BALL, a special birthday ball that puts the scene first. So grab all your fabric bits and bobs ‘cos on this night, all roads lead to the Young Vic Theatre.
Jay Jay Revlon has been an early and devoted influence on the London Ballroom scene for the past five years and has been instrumental in defining how Ballroom in the UK is run. As Father of the UK House of Revlon and founder of the Kiki House of Tea, Jay Jay is a leading authority of Ballroom in the UK.
There will be 15 categories on the night. These include: Under My Barbie Duvet – Tag Face; Love Reign – Best Dressed; Uncontained – LIPSYNC; American Dream – AA Runway; Soul Train Line 70s Fashion – WAACKING; 1960s Hippie Jeans – Realness With A Twist.
Full category details are available at www.youngvic.org
The judges will be announced at a later date.
THE FABRIC with COLOUR VOGUE BALL goes on sale to walkers today.
Public booking opens 30 March.
A Young Vic & LIFT co-production
Produced in association with Ruth Wilson
THE SECOND WOMAN
Created by Nat Randall and Anna Breckon
Presented in proud association with House of Oz
Main House
Friday 19 – Saturday 20 May, 4pm-4pm
One Woman. One Scene. One Hundred Men. One Electrifying 24-Hour Performance.
Golden Globe and two-time Olivier Award winner Ruth Wilson (Luther, His Dark Materials, Hedda Gabler) stars in The Second Woman, an internationally acclaimed feat of endurance theatre and live cinema.
Over a full 24 hours, 100 different men are invited to star opposite Ruth Wilson, as she performs over and over a scene between a man and a woman in a relationship that has lost its creativity and romance.
In an epic endurance performance inspired by John Cassavetes’ film Opening Night, none of the 100 different Martys have met or rehearsed with Ruth Wilson’s Virginia and most of them are non-actors.
This production is a collaboration between LIFT and the Young Vic, bringing together two of London’s most innovative cultural institutions with one of the world’s most celebrated actors.
Whether you choose to stay for 24 minutes or the full 24 hours, The Second Woman is a unique, cinematic theatre experience in which the stage offers the audience a wide-angle view of the action, while multiple cameras capture and share live close-ups.
Ruth Wilson says: “I have a feeling that The Second Woman will challenge all norms of what it means to be actor and audience, to be performer and observer. I’m interested in what happens in that space between us all; if we form a bond as we watch and anticipate the next play partner. This is a one-off, 24-hour experience of pure, spontaneous interaction. It will never happen again.”
The Second Woman is a Young Vic Theatre and LIFT co-production, produced in association with Ruth Wilson, created by Nat Randall and Anna Breckon, presented in proud association with House of Oz.
Lighting Design is by Lauren Woodhead, Video Design is by EO Gill.
The Second Woman is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and originally supported by Next Wave 2016.
The Second Woman will go on sale at a later date, with further details to be announced.
Young Vic Theatre presents
BENEATHA’S PLACE
Written and Directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah
Main House
27 June to 5 August
“Some things we do for those we are responsible for, some things for ourselves, and some things we do for the ancestors. Today, it’s all three!”
Beneatha’s Place, written and directed by Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah, will have its UK premiere this summer. This blistering satirical drama about history, power and the cost of letting go is inspired by the ground-breaking 1950s’ civil rights drama A Raisin in the Sun.
Lagos, 1959. The newly married Beneatha, and her Nigerian husband, rising political star, Joseph Asagi Funmilayo, are moving into their home in the white suburbs. But soon overbearing aunties and mysterious neighbours descend, pulling the young couple into the political storm of Nigerian independence and changing their lives forever.
Lagos, current day. A group of Ivy League professors meet with Beneatha in the same house to decide the future of their university. As they debate whose histories should be taught, and whose privileges examined, tensions threaten to reach breaking point.
Set and Costume Design is by Debbie Duru, Lighting Design is by Mark Henderson.
Full casting and further creative team to be announced.
Relaxed Performances: Fri 21 July, 7.30pm & Sat 22 July, 2:30pm
BSL Performance: Fri 28 July, 7.30 pm
Audio Described Performances: Thu 13 July, 7.30pm & Thu 20 July, 7.30pm
Captioned Performances: Mon 17 July, 7.30pm & Thu 3 August, 7.30pm
Beneatha’s Place goes on sale to Soul Mates today, and Friends on 13 February.
Public booking opens 17 February.
A Taking Part production
SUNDOWN KIKI RELOADED
Creative Direction by Jay Jay Revlon
Directed by Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu
Maria Theatre
31 July to 11 August
“When we walk, we have the ability to make the world tremble with every step.”
The House of Telfar and the House of Dunn are back in the explosive Sundown Kiki Reloaded following the sell-out run of Sundown Kiki in 2021. Watch the worlds of theatre and ballroom come together as the two families go head-to-head in an evening of pumping music, dance and partying that celebrates a Queerer London in all its glory.
Brought to you by the one and only UK Father of House of Revlon and pioneer of the London Ballroom Scene Jay Jay Revlon and award-winning director Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu (For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy). Created with and performed by Queer Black and Brown artists, the acclaimed show returns to the Young Vic. And we are ready for the DRAMA!!!
The cast of Sundown Kiki Reloaded includes: Amani, Asa Haynes, Diogo Varela, Emanuel Vuso, Georgie Lynch, Jay Lafayette Valentine, Joshua Asaré, Laura Sérgio, Sarah-Angel Sharma and Tatenda Shamiso.
The creative team is Creative Director Jay Jay Revlon, Director Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu, Set Designer Khadija Raza, Sound Designer and Composer XANA, Lighting Designer Pablo Fernández Baz, Costume Designer John Bastos, Movement Assistant Omar Jordan Phillips, Stage Manager Sylvia Darkwa-Ohemeng.
Relaxed Performances: All performances Mon 31 July – Fri 11 August
Sundown Kiki Reloaded goes on sale to Soul Mates today, and Friends on 13 February.
Public booking opens 17 February.
A Royal Exchange Theatre, Factory International for Manchester International Festival, Young Vic Theatre and Headlong co-production
untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play
By Kimber Lee
Directed by Roy Alexander Weise
Main House
18 September to 4 November
untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play by Kimber Lee (Tokyo Fish Story) jumps through time – wriggling inside of and then exploding lifetimes of repeating Asian stereotypes, wrestling history for the right to control your own narrative in a world that thinks it can tell you who you are. Winner of the inaugural Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2019, International Award, this powerful world premiere is directed by Roy Alexander Weise (The Mountaintop) and opens at the Royal Exchange Theatre as part of Manchester International Festival from 23 June to 22 July with opening night on 29 June, before transferring to the Young Vic from 18 September to 4 November with opening night for press on 22 September.
Kim is having one of those days. A terrible, very bad, no-good kind of day, and the worst part is…it all feels so familiar. Caught up in a never-ending cycle of events, she looks for the exit but the harder she tries, the worse it gets and she begins to wonder: who’s writing this story? She makes a break for it, smashing through a hundred years of bloody narratives that all end the same way. Can she find a way out before it’s too late?
untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play is Designed by Moi Tran.
Further creative team and full cast to be announced.
Relaxed Performances: Fri 20 October, 7.30pm & Sat 21 October, 2.30pm
BSL Performance: Fri 27 October, 7.30pm
Audio Described Performances: Fri 6 October 7.30pm & Thu 19 October, 7.30pm
Captioned Performances: Tue 17 October 7.30pm & Thu 2 November, 7.30pm
untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play at the Young Vic goes on sale to Soul Mates today, and Friends on 13 February.
Public booking opens 17 February.
A Taking Part production from Young Vic Theatre and the Beth Centre (Women in Prison)
TRIBE
Maria Theatre
28 October to 4 November
Embark on a creative journey that explores and celebrates all the different forms that family can take – from single parent families to large communities, chosen families to blood relatives. Part immersive exhibition and part live performance, Tribe is an entertaining and joyous adventure filled with movement, music and art.
The show will be created with a collective of women who will work as a company devising in collaboration with a dynamic creative team.
#ThisIsOurTribe
Relaxed Performances: All Performances, Sat 28 October – Sat 4 November
BSL Performances: Fri 3 November 7.45pm, Sat 4 November 2.45pm & 7.45pm
Tickets for Tribe will go on sale later in the year.
FIVE SHORTS
Five Shorts will bring together five artists to work with five creative collaborators to create five 5-minute live performances as the Young Vic Creators Program continues its work with early-career artists and theatre-makers to develop their craft.
This year’s collaborations will see Andrea Ling writing and directing Untitled (Conversations with Death) with dramaturgy by Olivia Poglio-Nwabali; Nikhil Vyas directing Marek Horn’s Haunting and Renting; Annie Kershaw directing Jasmin Mandi-Ghomi‘s Light, Zoe Templeman-Young directing Marina Carr’s Young Vic 10 (Demeter and Persephone); and Ashen Gupta directing Sanjay Lago’s All Round Roti.
Design is by Jida Akil, with Casting by Monica Siyanga.
Five Shorts was launched in 2013, formerly as Five Plays, and to date has worked with more than 100 writers and directors offering an opportunity to widen their knowledge of creatives, to make new connections and challenge their working practices. The artists will be mentored by Young Vic Associate Artistic Director Sue Emmas and Creative Lead Anastasia Osei-Kuffour and receive the support of a production team. The shorts will be rehearsed over five days, culminating in a live performance in the Clare Theatre for an invited audience.