Lives Lived: A Showcase

21/05/2024

I've written & directed a short play that I've devised with a bunch of amazing actors and we are performing it NEXT WEEK with 2 other new amazing short plays at the new writers festival that I've produced with my Theatre Company 'Troupe 22'

It would be sooo damn nice to have you there if you can make it!!
- 29th May, *7pm*
- 30th May, *2.30pm* & *7pm* shows...

More info on our website 👇
https://www.troupe22.co.uk

(Early Bird Discount ends tomorrow 🤑)

Lemme know if you can make it!

09/12/2022

Our Production shots are IN!!!

09/12/2022

14/11/2022

I N T R O D U C I N G O U R D I R E C T O R !

The multitalented Actor & Director ( ... and Singer & Dancer) :

{ Adeola Yemitan }

W h a t ' s y o u r f a v o u r i t e s p o t i n L o n d o n ?

The Southbank.

W h a t ' s y o u r f a v o u r i t e m a t e r i a l t o w o r k o n ?

Devised work - getting to work with music and movement

D o y o u h a v e a f a v o u r i t e q u o t e ?

"I am a mosaic of all the people I have ever loved"
[ origin unknown]

W h o a r e y o u i n s p i r e d b y ?

Theatre maker 'DK Fashola' - I’ve worked with her as a movement director, director, dance teacher ( ) and castmate - DK Fash’s work ethic is second to none! Her self-belief and belief in others, her talent and the breadth of her work inspires me to continue pursuing multi-disciplinary ways of working and working with communities of people that I love.

10/11/2022

I N T R O D U C I N G O U R C A S T !

Sixteenth, we have myself:

{ Francesca Woods }

W h a t ' s y o u r f a v o u r i t e s p o t i n L o n d o n ?

Hackney will always be special to me as the place I lived for three years after I graduated uni - it was my becoming years and the making of 'adult me' really - and those kinds of places you just owe a lot too. But Hamspstead Heath and the swimming ponds there were always my happy place when I lived in London - I don't know if it's the nature of being a 'Woods' but I've always felt grounded when surrounded by trees yo.

W h a t ' s y o u r f a v o u r i t e c h a r a c t e r y o u ' v e p l a y e d ?

'Her' from Yerma is a character I would never have thought I could play - she's unlike me in a lot of ways but I also feel I know her & understand her. It wasn't until my wonderful classmate and eventual scene partner brought the script to class and said 'you should do this' and I read it aloud, that I thought that maybe I had put limits on what I thought I could do ... and sometimes it does take someone else seeing something in you to cause you see it in yourself. So, SHOUT OUT TO: Elise Lambert & also Lee Knight who pushed me to do it too - you are both LEGENDS.

D o y o u h a v e a f a v o u r i t e q u o t e ?

Mate, I have sooo many... But I'll go with two from C.S Lewis that I'll combine:

"For me, reason is the natural organ of truth, but imagination is the organ of meaning... Sometimes fairy story's may say best what's to be said"

W h o a r e y o u i n s p i r e d b y ?

Honestly, ultimately it's Jesus that inspires me to make the choices I do in my life and it filters into why I do what I do. He was the ultimate storyteller & never told someone what to believe or what to do but told them a story to help point them towards finding their own answers, as well as walking closely & kindly with people, loving them deeply no matter what - and that's what I hope to do with my life.

Artistically I am, on a lesser but still mega high level, wholeheartedly inspired by Michaela Coel - I think she's bloody brilliant; as a writer, actor & person and I'd LOVE to work with her one day! 🤞

09/11/2022

Follow some Rehearsal 'fly on the wall' time with two of our cast: & as they give you a cheeky sneaky peak into one of our scenes we'll be performing next week in our show!! (can you guess where this scene is from...?) 👀📽️🎟️ IT'S A WEEK TODAY!!!! So: get your fresh hot tickets to our show now!! (link in bio) And you'll get to see how this scene ends... Plus many more Wonderful actors doing Wonderful work!!! You lucky lot!!
Book fast, before we sell out & you miss out!

Actors' Showcase (produced by Francesca Woods) shared a post on Instagram: "Follow some Rehearsal 'fly on the wall' time with two of our cast: & as they give you a cheeky sneaky peak into one of our scenes we'll be performing next week in our show!! (can you guess where....

08/11/2022

I N T R O D U C I N G O U R C A S T !

Fithteenth, we have the utter gem:

{ Ben Rath }

W h a t ' s y o u r f a v o u r i t e s p o t i n L o n d o n ?

My favourite spot in London is Dawson's Hill near Dulwich, you get the best view over London from there and it’s never too busy!

W h a t ' s y o u r f a v o u r i t e c h a r a c t e r y o u ' v e p l a y e d ?

I think the character I'm playing in this showcase has to be up there! I'm playing Will from a scene in 'Good Will Hunting'. Diving deep into his wants and needs has been a challenge but a lot of fun.

D o y o u h a v e a f a v o u r i t e q u o t e ?

“The only limit is the one you set yourself”. It’s from a red bull advert, I think it is true unless it’s some sort of a physical sport where age is a limit - if you allow yourself to believe something's possible, who’s to say it’s not?

W h o a r e y o u i n s p i r e d b y ?

My Grandad (Paps). He’s my inspiration because he really made me believe that I can do anything if I really set my mind to it! So I often think about that when things can seem tough.

06/11/2022

I N T R O D U C I N G O U R C A S T !

Forteenth, we have the sweetheart:

{ Chloe Lauren Cheung }

W h a t ' s y o u r f a v o u r i t e s p o t i n L o n d o n ?

I love whiling away the time in Battersea Park. It’s such a tranquil place and was a lifeline during the pandemic when everything else was closed. My favourite hidden areas are the lakes, where you can rent a pedalo in the summer, and the Old English Garden which is always filled with beautiful, vibrant flowers, especially the explosion of lilac wisteria in early summer. There’s even more to do in the area now that Battersea Power Station is open!

W h a t ' s y o u r f a v o u r i t e c h a r a c t e r y o u ' v e p l a y e d ?

It’s so hard to choose favourites, but I’m also going to go for 'Beatrice' from Much Ado About Nothing. In terms of classical roles, it doesn’t get much better - Beatrice’s puns are second to none. For screen, I’ve really enjoyed playing Frances from Frances Ha. Frances can be delightfully goofy and the film also has a great soundtrack and some v uplifting moments - I would recommend!

D o y o u h a v e a f a v o u r i t e q u o t e ?

I am a sucker for a good quote. I always find myself coming back to two that were inscribed at the Delphic Oracle: ‘know yourself’ and ‘nothing to excess’ i.e. everything in moderation. There is so much wisdom contained in those two short phrases.

W h o a r e y o u i n s p i r e d b y ?

As an actor, I’m inspired by the wonderful people I’ve trained with over the past year - I’ve learned so much from them. They’re doing some amazing things and are such talented and kind humans. Outside of acting, I draw strength from my grandparents, who took a huge leap of faith to move halfway across the world. Their tenacity and resilience is something I like to reflect on periodically.

03/11/2022

I N T R O D U C I N G O U R C A S T !

Thirteenth, we have the delightful:

{ Sara Kiani }

W h a t ' s y o u r f a v o u r i t e s p o t i n L o n d o n ?

I love kings cross, there’s always so much going on. There’s a piano at Saint Pancras international train station, and there’s always some genius person playing on it (once John legend played it too). Once, a young guy in a hoodie played Yann Tiersen tracks everyday and I would find myself circling around the station feeling I was in the movie “Amélie”. It truly felt like a movie. He was so talented. My point is, we have access to so much free art and music here in London. I love all of London, tbh.

W h a t ' s y o u r f a v o u r i t e c h a r a c t e r y o u ' v e p l a y e d ?

Peter Pan when I was 10 years old. When you do things while a child, you do them out of pure love, innocence and joy. There’s no agenda, no politics, no afterthought to it. You just do them because you are happy to do them. And that’s the whole point and why I went back to acting only recently.
Peter Pan is a story that never grows old – just like Peter himself. It's a poignant reminder of the quick passing of innocence and youth. I don't think there will ever be a place more magical than Never land.

D o y o u h a v e a f a v o u r i t e q u o t e ?

"Failure to plan is a plan to fail." My teacher used to say this. I also learned though you can plan all that you want and God will laugh. I guess it’s good to have some sort of structure and planning in place while leaving flexibility for faith and the universe's plans too.

W h o a r e y o u i n s p i r e d b y ?

No Brainer - Iranian woman in Iran at the moment risking their lives everyday for freedom. They pay their own lives for the future generations. I get chills when I think about their bravery.
Secondly, I’m always inspired by bad-ass women in movies. My first hero was Xene the warrior princess (Luzy Lawless). I grew up watching & wanting to be 'like that'.

02/11/2022

Book those tickets before we sell out!
£10 - what a bargain...

Congratulations to our IDSA students on their upcoming showcase at The Union Theatre!

'The show consists of a lot of the work we worked on in our classes at IDSA Last term - Content we are Proud of; duologues and monologues we want to share with the public and Industry alike'

Support the IDSA team and purchase tickets in advance to attend the show here: http://uniontheatre.biz/show/lives-lived/

Union Theatre, 16 - 17th November.

Actors: (Top Left to Bottom Right) Kai McLeod-Cox, Francesca Woods, Chloe Lauren Cheung, Estel Dima, Ben Rath, Alexandra Bacall, Abbey Devoy, Sara Kiani, Elise Lambert, Lizzy Fleming, Jennifer Adams, Wa'ad Mohamed, Fenella Watkins Hale, Pelumi Bamidele, Precious Oguntoyinbo, Agnieszka Wieclawska

01/11/2022

I N T R O D U C I N G O U R C A S T !

Twelfth, we have the wonderful:

{ Abbey Devoy }

W h a t ' s y o u r f a v o u r i t e s p o t i n L o n d o n ?

The area between Bermondsey Street, London Bridge, and Borough Market. I lived here for a short time during the pandemic and loved it. It has the corny glory of big touristy things like tower bridge and the shard but then also all the independent spots on Bermondsey street and jazz in the square on Sunday afternoons. Just delightful. Also any Dishoom.

W h a t ' s y o u r f a v o u r i t e c h a r a c t e r y o u ' v e p l a y e d ?

In my dreams I’ve played Woman 4 in Hamilton and that is probably my all time favourite but in real life, it’s probably the character I’m playing in this showcase. I find Stella’s wrestle with what she wants, what she believes in, and what she’s been dealt in life very interesting.

D o y o u h a v e a f a v o u r i t e q u o t e ?

Not sure that it’s my favourite but I love this one:
“The degree to which a person can grow is directly proportional to the amount of truth she can accept about herself without running away.”

W h o a r e y o u i n s p i r e d b y ?

I’m hugely inspired by Cynthia Erivo - her artistry, her dedication, and her versatility really inspire me. Also Jessica Chastain, Christian Bale, Ariana Debose, Gwen Verdon, Mandy Moore (the choreographer) and Julie Andrews.

31/10/2022

Follow some Rehearsal 'behind the scenes' time with two of our cast: & as they decide, adhock like, to rehearse on a boat & pay the price (in more than 1 way...) 💙🛳️🎟️ You heard them: get your fresh hot tickets to our show now!! (link in bio) And you'll get to see these 2 perform a scene from 'A Girls Guide To Saving The World' by Elinor Cook

Actors' Showcase (produced by Francesca Woods) shared a post on Instagram: "Follow some Rehearsal 'behind the scenes' time with two of our cast: & as they decide, adhock like, to rehearse on a boat & pay the price (in more than 1 way...) 💙🛳️🎟️ You hear...