The production will run from the 16th February until the 30th March.
The full cast and creative team have been announced for the upcoming world premiere of Benedict Lombe’s latest play, directed by Lynette Linton.
Tragedy brings Des and Dre crashing back into each other’s lives, carrying new secrets and old scars. Caught in the space between memory and reality, they must struggle to navigate the shifting borders that threaten to rewrite their past and reshape their future. A fierce romance for anyone desperate for a different kind of love story, Shifters is a tribute to the enduring power and fragility of memory and love.
The production is set to star Tosin Cole (he most recently wrapped production on Netflix’s highly anticipated series, Supacell created by Rapman. He will soon start production on Girl from the North Country, opposite Chloe Bailey and Olivia Colman, and will next be seen as Tyronie Downie in Bob Marley: One Love opposite Kingsley Ben Adir) and Heather Agyepong (School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (Lyric Hammersmith), Celebrated Virgins (Theatr Clwyd) and The Body Remembers (Battersea Arts Centre).
Shifters continues Bene Lombe’s long relationship with the Bush under Lynette Linton and Daniel Bailey’s leadership. She was previously a member of the Bush Theatre’s Emerging Writers Group and was commissioned to write Do You Here Us Now for the theatre’s Protest series, produced in response to the murder of George Floyd and which was developed into her 2021 smash-hit, Lava, winner of the Susan Blackburn Smith prize.
Director Lynette Linton said, ‘Having Bene back is so dope. We love her, we trust her – and she also trusts us. It feels like a match made in heaven, and we knew that she was going to write a show that was going to absolutely bang. Working with her on Shifters – it really struck me why we make these shows and what our function is. At the Bush, we provide artists with a platform, and the space to develop and grow. Our job is to give them all the right opportunities so that they can jump off that platform and fly. Ultimately, as they move on to bigger realms and higher echelons as Bene has, they know that they can always come back, and that love is ongoing.”
The creative team behind the production includes: Set and Costume Designer Alex Berry, Lighting Designer Neil Austin, Sound Designer Tony Gale, Composer Xana, Movement Director Shelley Maxwell, Casting Director Heather Basten CDG, Voice Coach Joel Trill, Costume Supervisor Malena Arcucci, Production Manager Chloe Stally-Gibson, Company Stage Manager Crystal Gayle and Assistant Stage Manager Hayley Bowman.
To book tickets visit: https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/event/shifters/