First performed to sold-out audiences at the Bush Theatre in 2018, prior to a short tour, Urielle Klein-Mekongo’s Yvette returns to the Bush Theatre, London on 14 May.
Evie is thirteen and lives in Neasden with her Mum. She wants to tell us something…. her crush on Lewis, trying to be a woman, Hello Kitty underwear, and her personal battle with body hair. She wants to make us laugh, she’s good at it. She wants to tell us something, but she daren’t let it out.
In a performance that is equal parts hilarious and powerfully moving, the award-winning Urielle Klein-Mekongo mixes spoken word, garage remixes and vibrant original songs to tell the story of a young girl navigating her teens.
This ‘winning and poignant’ (The Stage) play set to the sounds of the early noughties was commissioned by Bernie Grant Arts Centre in association with Hull 2017.
Urielle Klein-Mekongo is a writer, theatre-maker singer/songwriter, and performer. After first entering training via the National Youth Theatre’s Playing Up course in 2013, she went on to study Acting and Contemporary Theatre at East 15 where she graduated in 2017. Yvette marks Urielle’s first professional outing as a writer/performer. Other credits include Swipe (The Arcola with NYT) and Three Sisters (East 15). She was selected as one of the writers for the Lyric Fest Gala 2017.
Gbolahan Obisesan recently held the role of Genesis Fellow/Associate Director at the Young Vic Theatre. In 2018, Gbolahan’s adaptation of the Booker Prize-nominated novel The Fisherman premiered at HOME, Manchester (New Perspectives Theatre). Previous directing credits include: 2017 Olivier-nominated Cuttin’ It (Young Vic, Birmingham Rep, Sheffield Crucible, Royal Court, Yard Theatre); Off The Page, a short film for the Royal Court/Guardian’s micro-plays season; We are Proud to Present…, 66 Books (Bush Theatre); How Nigeria Became: A story, and a spear that didn’t work (Unicorn Theatre); SUS, The Web (Young Vic). Gbolahan was awarded the Director in Residence at the National Theatre Studio as the recipient of the Bulldog Prince Director’s Bursary in 2008.
