The Young Vic Theatre today announces casting for Girl in the Machine by Stef Smith (The Outrun, Nora: A Doll’s House) directed by Annie Kershaw (THIS IS NOT A PROTEST, Ulysses), the 2024 recipient of the Genesis Future Directors Award. Girl in the Machine will run from Wednesday 16 – Saturday 26 October 2024 in the Young Vic’s Clare Theatre as part of the Creators Program and Genesis Future Directors Award program. Tickets are now on sale www.youngvic.org.
BAFTA nominated actor Leah Harvey (Foundation, Small Island) will play Rowan with Sophie Melville (The Way, Iphigenia in Splott) as Polly in this electrifying new production which explores human and technological interaction.
The gap is getting smaller between the human and the hardware.
Polly loves Rowen but lately that hasn’t felt like enough. Then Rowen brings home the Black Box, with its promises to cure depression, and a flick of a switch changes everything. As Polly becomes more distant from the person she planned to share her life with, will her love for Rowen be enough to resist the draw of eternal bliss that the Black Box offers?
Completing the creative team is designer Khadija Raza, sound designer Odinn Orn Hilmarsson, lighting designer Lucía Sánchez Roldán, movement director Nevena Stojkov, associate sound designer Neil McKeown, casting by Jacob Sparrow, and Jerwood Trainee Assistant Director Neve Adams.
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Made possible by the Genesis Foundation, the Genesis Future Directors Award program provides early-career directors with the opportunity to explore and develop their craft by creating their first fully resourced production at the Young Vic, with mentoring and support from the theatre’s core artistic team. Since its inception in 2012, the Genesis Future Directors Award has supported 17 emerging directors and theatre-makers including Andrea Ling, Deirdre McLaughlin, Diyan Zora, Dadiow Lin, Caitriona Shoobridge, Lekan Lawal, Debbie Hannan, John R. Wilkinson, Nancy Medina, Luke Skilbeck, Bryony Shanahan, Ola Ince, Rikki Henry, Tinuke Craig, Finn Beames, Matthew Xia and Ben Kidd.
The Genesis Future Directors Award is part of the Young Vic’s Creators Program for multi-and anti-disciplinary artists. The only scheme of its kind, it offers artists and producers a unique opportunity to develop their craft through opportunities that range from trainee and assistant director roles to a two-year residency through the Genesis Fellow/Associate Director position.
Annie Kershaw said: “I am more than excited to be directing Stef Smith’s brilliant play with such a great creative team and cast. This production questions how far our reliance on technology will go. What will be the breaking point? With a host of legendary performances between them, Sophie Melville and Leah Harvey are the perfect pairing to help us deep dive into the personal impact of our changing relationship with technology. Considering current advances in AI, this piece is scarily resonant. I’m looking forward to seeing how audiences react.”
John Studzinski, Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation, said: “The Genesis Future Directors Award – and our other programmes at the Young Vic these past 20 years – have given young directors a much sought-after opportunity to direct their first play in a fully-resourced production at the Young Vic. These productions are shielded from critical review, enabling them to experiment with form and be as creative as they can be.
Annie Kershaw joins a cohort of Genesis directors who have gone on to forge rich achievements in their careers. We look forward to seeing her work and wish her every success.”
