Following a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2024, the award-winning and moving play Dear Annie, I Hate You is set to make its London debut at Riverside Studios for a limited four-week run from Wednesday, 7th May to Sunday, 1st June 2025. The press night will be held on Monday, 12th May at 7:00 pm.
Shortlisted for the BBC Popcorn Writing Award, Dear Annie, I Hate You is based on the true story of writer-performer Sam Ipema, who, upon discovering a brain aneurysm, was told she might be dying at the age of 20. The play, brought to life by Wild Geese Productions in association with HFH Productions, takes the audience on a journey from Sam’s early childhood to her potentially terminal diagnosis.
In this heartfelt show, Sam’s brain aneurysm takes the form of ‘Annie’ – the straight-talking stream of consciousness she keeps shielded from the world. Using immersive sound design by Olivier-nominated Dan Balfour, the staging will echo the liminal space of the brain. This production will be a significant upscale from the critically acclaimed fringe show, employing multi-media elements to depict Sam’s experience in a visceral way.
Sam Ipema stars as herself alongside Eleanor House in the titular role. The creative team includes director and co-devisor James Meteyard, sound designer and co-devisor Dan Balfour, set and lighting designer Hugo Dodsworth, movement director Jade Hackett, and co-video creators Dan Light and Douglas Coghlan.
Dear Annie, I Hate You was named Sinner’s number one Pick of the Fringe 2024 and won The Stagey Place’s ‘Best New Writing’ and ‘Best Multi-Media Show’ awards.
Creator and cast member Samantha Ipema comments, “I think the show has a lot to offer anyone with experience of their own lives suddenly blowing apart and being left with only pieces to put it back together. But it’s a call to empower people, most of all, and it’s meant to say that even in the wreckage, there is still something remarkable to be found.”
Director and Co-Devisor James Meteyard adds, “Dear Annie, I Hate You is a life-affirming examination of the impact of a young woman receiving a potentially terminal diagnosis in her early 20s. Sam’s script brings a refreshingly clever, imaginative and entertaining approach to this subject matter, focusing on what’s universal about her experience and causing us to reflect on our own lives.”
