Young Vic Taking Part announce the complete cast and creative team for Love Reign, their 2021 YV Unpacked production. This professional production which will tour to venues in Lambeth and Southwark where theatre is not regularly performed, before a run at the Young Vic.
Love Reign, written by Shereen Jasmin Phillips and directed by Stef O’Driscoll, is an eclectic piece of new writing, fusing narrative and a live, soulful house soundtrack to create an exhilarating storytelling experience. Venues hosting the YV Unpacked tour of Love Reign will include schools, women’s centres and a range of community spaces who provided focused support for different groups, including people who have experienced homelessness and those with learning disabilities, autism and mental health needs.
The cast of YV Unpacked: Love Reign includes Hannah Ledwidge, Redd Lily Roche, Neeta Sarl, Shakira Malkani and Tanika Yearwood.
Love Reign is Written by Shereen Jasmin Phillips and Directed by Stef O’Driscoll, with Musical Direction and Composition by Neeta Sarl, Movement Direction by Rachael Nanyonjo and Design Consultation by Khadija Raza, with Trainee Assistant Direction by Tomi Adewusi.
Love Reign follows the success of two YV Unpacked tours, which saw professionally performed productions of Spring Awakening and She Ventures and He Wins performed in venues in Lambeth and Southwark. YV Unpacked was established in 2018 by Kwame Kwei-Armah when he became the Young Vic Artistic Director, developed with the intention of reaching audiences who may find it more difficult to access theatre by taking professional work to them.
This year marks the first time Taking Part has toured an original work as part of YV Unpacked. By locating the world of the play in South London, with local references and audience interaction encouraged, the piece aims to centre the audiences it has been created for. At its core, Love Reign is a love letter to friendships; how we begin them, how we honour them and how preserve them against all odds in our lives. This show encapsulates the joyful expression of friendship delicately underscored by a live soundtrack from the band. This is theatre you can vibe to.
Venues hosting YV Unpacked: Love Reign include Dunraven School, South Bank University Academy, Women in Prison (Beth Centre) at East Hill Baptist Church, Blackfriars Settlement and Certitude London in partnership with Portico Gallery, with more venues to be announced. At least 10% of tickets to the performance run in the Maria Theatre will be given free to schools, neighbours and early-career theatre makers.
