She Is A Place Called Home - VAULT Festival 2020

Aim

A gripping new play about two sisters navigating the space where culture, religion, and family collide. Partnered with Solace Women's Aid.

About the Project

She Is A Place Called Home, written by Esohe Uwadiae, tells the story of two sisters in the run up to their Dad’s wedding as they grapple with his decision to get another wife, all the while rehearsing the traditional Nigerian dance he’s asked them to perform.

Set against the backdrop of a family in crisis, this unique exploration of British Nigerian sisterhood shines a light on what it means to exist in the space between two worlds – the tradeoffs you must make, the lies you must tell and the contradictions you must somehow make peace with. It highlights the power imbalances cultural traditions create within families and what those without power must do to survive.

Debuting ahead of International Women’s Day, She Is A Place Called Home, is ultimately a tale about sisters as they confront what their Dad’s decision means for their faith, their family and their future. The play was developed as part of the VAULT Festival New Writers’ Programme 2019, led by award-winning writer Camilla Whitehill (Freeman, Where Do Little Birds Go?), and showcased during VAULT Festival 2019 in a sold-out show.

She Is A Place Called Home is partnering with Solace Women's Aid, an innovative and grass roots charity that supports women and children who have experienced domestic and sexual violence to build safe and strong lives.

Tickets and More Information: https://vaultfestival.com/whats-on/she-is-a-place-called-home/

About Your Donations 

Your kind donations will help us to ensure we can pay our cast, creative team (and others contributing to the success of our show) fairly, as well as helping us get the word out to as many people as possible, raising awareness not only for our show, but also for the issues it raises, and the great work that Solace Women's Aid do. Every donor will get listed in the Thank You section of our programme, handed out at each performance.

About the Team 

Esohe Uwadiae, Writer

Esohe Uwadiae is a graduate of the VAULT Festival New Writers' Programme, where this play was developed, and more recently, the Royal Court's Writers' Groups. This is her debut play.

Layla Madanat, Director

Layla Madanat is a Jordanian-Palestinian director born and bred in South West London. Layla trained in Directing with Lee Lyford in conjunction with the Bristol Old Vic in 2016, culminating in a showcase performance of Carly Wijs’ Us/Them at the Bierkeller Theatre. Most recently, Layla directed A New Dawn at The King’s Head and the Union Theatres, and a sell-out debut of Colour is too Sweet at the King’s Head. She continues to be passionate about working with new writing and collaborating with upcoming writers on their working. Other recent credits include: Things We Do Not Know (Leicester Curve, NSDF) Half/نص (Extract performed at Tristan Bates and Old Red Lion) Noura (Rich Mix, Global Arab Voices) Sweeney Todd (LSE Old Theatre) Into the Deep (Room Above, Manchester Leaf and Etcetera Theatre).

Tia Alice Ray, Producer

Tia Alice Ray is a graduate of the Drama and Theatre Arts Department at the University of Birmingham. Tia is a producer, actor, and director who is excited to be producing her first show at VAULT. She has worked with multiple companies on a diverse range of productions; most notably, she produced 3BUGS Fringe Theatre’s 7 Ways to Calm the F**k Down at the Edinburgh Fringe, which received 4 and 5 star reviews, was featured in several publications, and had multiple sell-out performances. She is currently working with Infinite Space Digital to create their first multi-platform production.

Get In Touch!

Send us an email at [email protected] or find us on social media @sheisaplace (Twitter) or @sheisaplaceplay (Instagram)

About VAULT Festival

VAULT Festival is London’s biggest, boldest and wildest arts and entertainment festival, hosting hundreds of events each year; reaching across theatre, comedy, cabaret, immersive experiences, late night parties, pop-up venues, and more. Now in its eighth year, VAULT Festival returns in 2020 from 28th January to 22nd March with a broad and diverse programme of more than 400 shows in venues throughout Waterloo. VAULT Festival is committed to being one of the fairest platforms in London for presenting innovative and daring work. Supporting artists, audiences and our staff equally is at the core of all we do. Join us underground for eight weeks of creativity, innovation, adventure and fun. www.vaultfestival.com

This project successfully funded on 7th March 2020