Chichester Festival Theatre has announced the full cast and creative team for the world premiere of Safe Space, a new play written by Jamie Bogyo.
Directed by Roy Alexander Weise, Safe Space will run at the Minerva Theatre from 11 October to 8 November, with a press night scheduled for Friday 17 October.
This whip-smart, hilarious and bracing new play dives into the volatile quicksand of campus politics during the final months of Obama’s presidency. It explores how – and if – we can escape the past.
Jamie Bogyo, making his debut as a playwright, also stars as Connor. His previous acting credits include Christian in the original West End production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Nate in The Devil Wears Prada (Dominion Theatre), Operation Epsilon (Southwark Playhouse Elephant), and Alex in Aspects of Love (West End revival).
Joining Bogyo on stage are Bola Akeju (Ted Lasso, School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play) as Stacy, Céline Buckens (Showtrial, The Ex-Wife, Suspect, The Kollective) as Annabelle, Ernest Kingsley Jr. (Is God Is, Washington Black) as Isaiah, and Ivan Oyik (Little Brother, Ludwig) as Omar.
The winds of change are blowing through the elite ivy-league halls of one of America’s most prestigious universities. For students Isaiah, Connor, Annabelle, Omar and Stacy, on the precipice of starting their adult lives, life is no longer about getting through a political science lecture with a hangover and auditioning for the school acapella group. Confronting the injustices of the past is top of the agenda – starting with the fact that the college is named after a notorious defender of slavery. And in this pressure cooker environment, everyone has to pick a side.
Beneath the passionate speeches, do old prejudices die hard? What happens to friendship and love amidst frank debate?
Roy Alexander Weise’s recent directing credits include The Hot Wing King, Nine Night (National Theatre), and Untitled Fck Mss S**gon Play (Royal Exchange/Young Vic/Headlong).
The creative team includes designer Khadija Raza, lighting designer Laura Howard, sound designer and composer Giles Thomas, musical director Michael Henry, movement director Mateus Daniel, and casting director Isabella Odoffin CDG.
Safe Space is recommended for ages 14+ and contains strong language and scenes of an adult nature.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
