Silent Witness and Hollyoaks star Kiza Deen come to Leeds Playhouse to take on the challenging one-woman play random by award-winning playwright and screenwriter Debbie Tucker Green.
It’s the tale of ordinary day in the life of a regular family but then one random act changes everything. A bewildered family then find themselves caught up in catastrophe and grief in this vivid play.
Deen is best known for her roles as DCI Naomi Silva in Silent Witness and Sonia Albright in Hollyoaks, and will be directed by Gbolahan Obisesan who is a previous Genesis Fellow and Associate Director of the Young Vic Theatre.
“I’m delighted to welcome Gbolahan and Kiza to Leeds Playhouse to share such a poignant story by one of the UK’s leading writers,” says Leeds Playhouse Artistic Director James Brining.
“random will play in our Pop-Up theatre at the same time as Yorkshire classic Kes, a tale of youth, identity and growing up facing adversity. Written 40 years apart, Kes and random are an unlikely but unique pairing, both sharing the experience of youth. It’s a pleasure to be able to play these two powerful stories together.”
The production is designed by Set and Costume Designer Max Johns who is joined by Lighting Designer Chloe Kenward, Associate Lighting Designer Christopher Nairne and Leeds based Sound Designer Xavier Velastin. The creative team will be joined by two new trainees to Leeds Playhouse, Assistant Director Jaasra Aslam and Trainee Sound Designer Charlotte Bickley.
“random is a play that captures a previously unheard experience of a tragically common reality. random is beautifully crafted; it is poetic as much as it's smartly layered with colloquially recognisable personalities and characters,” adds Gbolahan Obisesan.
“Most importantly, it is the voices of the family that stays with us and makes us reflect on the collective shock we all need to feel; because such stories are still prevalent in our society and we shouldn't be forced to carry on but compelled to find solutions to the problem.”
random plays in Leeds Playhouse’s Pop-Up theatre, in association with SOYO Leeds, from 4th – 16th February. Box office 0113 213 7700. Book online www.leedsplayhouse.org.uk
