Paines Plough And Soho Theatre Announce Dates For Ifeyinwa Frederick’s SESSIONS Exploring Mental Health In Young Men
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PAINES PLOUGH AND SOHO THEATRE ANNOUNCE DATES FOR IFEYINWA FREDERICK’S SESSIONS, EXPLORING MENTAL HEALTH IN YOUNG MEN
Today Paines Plough and Soho Theatre have announced full tour dates for Ifeyinwa Frederick’s SESSIONS, directed by Philip Morris. Exploring the complexities of mental health in young men, masculinity, depression and therapy, SESSIONS will tour the UK from 28 September, starting in Selby and ending it’s run at Soho Theatre from 8 November to 5 December with a Press Night on 10 November. Tickets for SESSIONS at Soho Theatre are now on sale.
Ifeyinwa’s debut play THE HOES was shortlisted for the Verity Bargate Award in 2018. Alongside her theatre work, Ifeyinwa is a restaurateur, co-founding Chuku's - the world's first Nigerian tapas restaurant - and was included on Forbes’ list of 100 Female Founders in Europe. Philip Morris was a Trainee Director at The Royal Court and is the founder and Artistic Director of Trybe House Theatre, a newly formed company which seeks to actively build resilience and self-wellbeing, primarily with young black men aged 16 - 25, using theatre as a supportive outlet.
Raw, funny, bittersweet, SESSIONS by Ifeyinwa Frederick interrogates the challenge of opening up and accepting our own vulnerabilities.
"30 just matters, init. Like there’s no doubt you’re a proper adult then. Like 25 to 29 is just training but 30, it’s real.
Tunde's 30th birthday is fast approaching. So, he's just started therapy because he hasn't been able to get to the gym for weeks and a recent one night stand ended in tears - his."
Tour locations include: Selby Town Hall; Arts Centre Washington; The Maltings, Berwick; Rosehill Theatre, Whitehaven; Middlesbrough Town Hall; Cast, Doncaster; Mill Arts, Banbury; The Hat Factory, Luton; The Edge, Manchester; Arts Depot, London; The Old Market, Brighton; Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis; Ventnor Exchange; The Spring Arts Centre, Havant; The Garage, Norwich; Key Theatre, Peterborough; Norden Farm; Derby Theatre; Unity Theatre, Liverpool; South Hill Park; Pound Arts, Corsham; Trestle Arts Base; Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford.
In 2019 Paines Plough co-commissioned a new play by Ifeyinwa Frederick, one of the 2019 Soho Six, in a yearlong attachment programme for artists run by Soho Theatre. As part of their 2021 season Paines Plough, together with Soho Theatre, present the result. The production debuts in September 2021 with a national tour before playing at Soho Theatre in November 2021. This will be the third production in a multi-year partnership with the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
Paines Plough will be partnering with Trybe House Theatre, a newly formed company which seeks to actively build resilience and self well-being, particularly with young black men aged 16-25, using theatre as a supportive outlet. Together, they will deliver a programme of theatre workshops to national audiences alongside the SESSIONS tour.
Ifeyinwa is a fervent believer in the power of storytelling and human connection, which fuels her work as a writer and entrepreneur. In need of a creative outlet outside of her business, she began writing and joined Soho Theatre Writers' Lab. Supported by the programme, she wrote her debut play THE HOES which received a full production at Hampstead Theatre in 2018. The play was shortlisted for the Tony Craze Award and Character 7 Award and longlisted for the Verity Bargate Award. Writing alongside her full-time job as co-founder of Chuku's - the world's first Nigerian tapas restaurant – she's a Young British Foodie award winner and has been featured in Forbes' list of 100 Female Founders in Europe.
Philip Morris has been a Trainee Director at the Royal Court. He was previously Senior Youth Theatre Director at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre (The REP). After graduating from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Philip began work as an intern at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the Birmingham Hippodrome. Approximately halfway through his 6-month internship he was asked to deliver a pitch for Mind Charity for a pilot project named Up MY Street working closely with vulnerable young black men on behalf of The REP. He was successful in the pitch which then led to him creating Lightpost Theatre Company. He has since gone on to direct work for the National Theatre, Company Three, the Young Vic and is the now Artistic Director of his own theatre company Trybe House Theatre.
LISTINGS
SESSIONS
By Ifeyinwa Frederick
Paines Plough and Soho Theatre
Age Guidance 14+
UK tour 28 September - 31 October
Soho Theatre 8 November - 5 December
UK TOUR DATES
29 September
30 September
01 October
02 October
04 October
05 October
06 October
07 October
08 October
09 October
12 October
13 October
14 October
15 October
16 October
THE SPRING ARTS CENTRE, HAVANT
19 October
20 October
22 October
23 October
25 October
27 October
28 October
29 October
30 October
8 Nov – 4 Dec
SOHO THEATRE, LONDON
About Paines Plough
PAINES PLOUGH is a touring theatre company dedicated entirely to developing and producing exceptional new writing. The work we create connects with artists and communities across the UK.
Since 1974 Paines Plough has produced more than 200 new productions by world renowned playwrights including Sarah Kane, Mark Ravenhill, Dennis Kelly, Mike Bartlett, Kae Tempest and Vinay Patel and we tour our plays to over 40 places each year. We reach over 30,000 people annually from Cornwall to the Orkney Islands, in village halls and in our own pop-up theatre Roundabout. Furthering our reach beyond theatre walls, our audio app COME TO WHERE I’M FROM hosts 180 original mini plays about home and our digital projects connect with audiences via WhatsApp, phone, email and even by post. Wherever you are you can experience a Paines Plough Production.
@PainesPlough
#RoundaboutPP
About Soho Theatre
SOHO THEATRE is London’s most vibrant producer for new theatre, comedy and cabaret. We pursue creative excellence, harnessing an artistic spirit that is based in our new writing roots, the radical ethos of the fringe and the traditions of punk culture and queer performance. We champion voices that challenge from outside of the mainstream, and sometimes from within it too. We value entertainment, accessibility and enjoy a good show. We are a registered charity and social enterprise and our audiences are diverse in age, background and outlook.
Ordinarily our work plays to live audiences of 250,000 audiences a year in our Dean Street venue, at the Edinburgh Fringe and beyond. Since our temporary closure due to Covid-19 we have re-launched our online platform Soho Theatre On Demand, which hosted the phenomenally successful live recording of FLEABAG and recently released the critically acclaimed TYPICAL. We’ve partnered with Amazon Prime Video (UK) for a three-series deal, bringing existing and new comedy shows to the platform (2021-22).
Soho Theatre’s board is chaired by Dame Heather Rabbatts DBE and the company is led by Executive Director Mark Godfrey and Creative Director David Luff. sohotheatre.com | sohotheatreondemand.com | @sohotheatre
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