Anastasia Osei-Kuffour, director, writer, poet and producer makes her playwriting debut in Love Steps, a production supported by Talawa Theatre Company and premiering at Omnibus Theatre for 3 weeks from 3 to 20 April and from 29 May to 1 June at Talawa’s Studio Theatre Fairfield Halls.
Meet Anna. She is ‘young, gifted and Black’, surviving in a turbulent world but there is one thing that’s missing: love. Through a fusion of drama, poetry, dance and music (R&B, Hip Hop, Gospel) we see Anna take her Love Steps and redefine love on her own terms.
This ‘choreopoem’-inspired show shines a light on the pressures placed on people to find a significant other and questions whether finding love defines one’s identity and if self-worth and self-esteem can exist outside of that.
Commenting on her semi-autobiographical work, which also explores Black female identity, Anastasia says: “When I was younger, I struggled to identify with romantic love represented in mainstream theatre, TV and film. I rarely saw myself reflected in those stories or in stereotypical beauty industry images.
“I wrote Love Steps to counter skewed cultural messages, highlight the turbulent love journeys people experience and hopefully inspire greater understanding for others. Drawing on my own experience for inspiration adds an authenticity I hope will move audiences and allow people to see themselves in what is essentially a story with universal themes.”
Love Steps’ creative team also includes performer and choreographer Leroy ‘FX’ Dias Dos Santos (La Traviata, Aida for Welsh National Opera) member of street dance sensation Flawless (finalists in ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent which also featured in movies including Street Dance 3D and The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Paralympic Opening Ceremony).
Anastasia is the director of Typical, the critically acclaimed play by Nouveau Riche’s Ryan Calais Cameron which starred Richard Blackwood. She also directed Windrush play On The Ropes (Park Theatre) and Roy William’s All Roads. Anastasia also directs on BBC Radio 4’s Faith, Hope and Glory drama series.
Love Steps is presented by Wrested Veil and TO Entertainment and co-produced by Ebenezer Ademisoye with the support of Talawa Theatre Company.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
