ROYAL COURT THEATRE CASTING ANNOUNCEMENT: CUTTIN' IT
Published on Fri 18 Mar 2016
Adelayo Adedayo and Tsion Habte have been cast in Charlene James’ new play Cuttin’ It. Directed by Gbolahan Obisesan, Cuttin’ It highlights the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the UK. It is a Royal Court/Young Vic co-production with Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Sheffield Theatres and The Yard Theatre.
With design by Joanna Scotcher, lighting by Azusa Ono and sound by Adrienne Quartly. Cuttin’ It premieres at the Young Vic 20 May – 11 June. It then tours to the Birmingham Repertory Theatre 14 June – 18 June, the Royal Court 23 June – 9 July, The Sheffield Crucible 20 July – 23 July, and the Yard 26 July – 30 July.
Charlene James makes her Royal Court debut. She won the George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright in 2015 and the Alfred Fagon Award for Best New Play for Cuttin’ It.
‘We’re opposites, even though we came from the same, she’s nuttin like me, an that shames me.’
Teenagers Muna and Iqra get the same bus to school but they’ve never really spoken. Muna wears Topshop and sits on the top deck gossiping about Nicki Minaj’s latest spat, while Iqra sits alone downstairs in her charity shop hand-me-downs.
They were both born in Somalia but come from different worlds. But as they get closer, they realise that their families share a painful secret.
‘I know what it meant to have a little sister. I knew what it meant for her.’
Cuttin’ It will be accompanied by two Big Idea Events: a talk on trauma and exile by Dr. Aida Alayarian, Clinical Director at the Refugee Therapy Centre; and a conversation with Cuttin’ It playwright Charlene James.
Full listings and biography information below.
The Big Idea:
Trauma and Exile
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Tuesday 28 June 2016, post-show
Dr Aida Alayarian, Clinical Director at the Refugee Therapy Centre, talks with Royal Court Deputy Literary Manager Louise Stephens about the treatment of trauma in young victims of conflict now living in the UK.
Aida Alayarian is a consultant clinical psychologist, child psychotherapist and adult psychoanalytic psychotherapist. Over the past three decades, she has worked with children, young adults and families in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural settings in both the statutory and voluntary sector. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, and sits on the executive board of the UKCP–CPJA. Aida’s work was awarded with the Women in Public Life awards in 2009; the Centre of Social Justice Award in 2010 and in 2011 by the London Educational Partnership.
Charlene James in conversation
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Tuesday 5 July, Post-show
Playwright Charlene James will be in conversation.
The Big Idea is a strand of work launched during Open Court, offering audiences radical thinking and provocative discussion inspired by the work on stage. The Big Idea seeks to foster debate and collaboration, bringing together leading thinkers and artists from all walks of life to engage with the big ideas of our times, through a series of debates and events.
For more information or images please contact Anoushka Hay on 0207 565 5063 / AnoushkaHay@royalcourttheatre.com
Notes to Editors:
Press Night:
Friday 27 May 7pm Cuttin’ It by Charlene James. Please note this is at Young Vic
Listings Information:
Cuttin’ It
By Charlene James
Directed by Gbolahan Obisesan
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS
Thursday 23 June – Saturday 9 July 2016
A Royal Court / Young Vic co-production with Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Sheffield Theatres and The Yard Theatre
Monday – Saturday 7.45pm
Thursday & Saturday matinees 3pm (from 25 June)
Press Night Friday 27 May 7pm at the Young Vic via CharlotteBayley@youngvic.org
Age Guidance 14+
Tickets £20 (Mondays all seats £10 available from 9am online on the day of performance)
Concessions* £15 (available in advance for previews and all matinees)
Access £12 (plus a companion at the same rate)
*ID required. All discounts subject to availability.
Cuttin’ It Elsewhere:
Friday 20 May – Saturday 11 June 2016
Young Vic
The Young Vic Theatre, 66 The Cut, London SE1 8LZ
www.youngvic.org
Tuesday 14 June – Saturday 18 June 2016
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
The Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2EP
www.birmingham-rep.co.uk
Wednesday 20 July – Saturday 23 July 2016
Sheffield Crucible Studio
Sheffield Crucible, 55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1 1DA
www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
Tuesday 26 July – Saturday 30 July 2016
The Yard Theatre
The Yard Theatre, Unit 2a Queen’s Yard, London E9 5EN
www.theyardtheatre.co.uk
Charlene James won the Alfred Fagon and George Devine Awards for Cuttin’ It. She is a playwright and an actor who trained at Birmingham School of Acting and The School at Steppenwolf, Chicago. In 2008, she participated in the Royal Court’s Young Writers Programme and in 2012 she was selected to be one of the 503 Five at Theatre 503. In 2013 Charlene became a writer in residence at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre for their season focusing on mental health. Her play, Tweet Tweet, was commissioned by the Birmingham Repertory Theatre as part of Young Theatre Makers and premiered there before touring.
Gbolahan Obisesan’s previous work at the Royal Court includes Feast as playwright and School Gate, a microfilm as part of the Guardian Off the Page series. As a writer his credits include Pigeon English (Bristol Old Vic), Mad about the Boy (Edinburgh Festival, Unicorn, Bush, Young Vic) and Hold It Up (National Youth Theatre/Soho). As a writer and director his credits include How Nigeria Became, A Story, and A Spear that Didn’t Work (Unicorn). Other directing credits include We Are Proud to Present_… and _Sixty-Six Books (Bush Theatre); Songs Inside (Gate Theatre); Eye/Balls and Hold It Up (Soho Theatre); and 200 Years (Watford Palace Theatre).
He was also awarded the Bulldog Princep Bursary as Resident Director at the National Theatre Studio 2008-09 Fringe First Award. He is currently Genesis Fellow of the Young Vic.
Adelayo Adedayo will make her Royal Court debut with Cuttin’ It. Other theatre credits include Klippies (Southwark Playhouse); Rachel (Finborough) and The Dead Wait (Park Theatre). Her film credits include Unlocked, Jet Trash, London Fields, Gone Too Far and Sket. Her television credits include Black to the Future, Houdini & Doyle, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man, Law & Order UK, Some Girls (series 1-3), Skins, and Meet the Bandaiis.
Tsion Habte will make her Royal Court debut with Cuttin’ It.
To download the full press release click here
