Audible Theater Announces World Premiere of Jade Anouka's HEART

Audible Inc. has announced the world premiere of HEART, written by and starring British performer and poet Jade Anouka, directed by Ola Ince. HEART is produced in association with Kate Pakenham Productions.

HEART will begin performances on Saturday, July 9 with an official opening on Sunday, July 17 at the Minetta Lane Theatre (18 Minetta Lane, between MacDougal & 6th Avenue - one block south of W. 3rd Street), Audible's creative home for live performances in New York. The limited engagement will run for five weeks only, through Sunday, August 14.

On Thursday, June 2, HEART will also be released as an Audible Original, extending its reach to millions of Audible listeners around the world.

Jade Anouka said, "This play began in 2018 when I spurted my heart onto a page. I sent that poetic mess to Kate Pakenham who believed this was a story worth sharing. Here we are four years and many rewrites later and I cannot wait to finally tell my story. Thanks to Audible, we will be bringing this play not only to the brilliant Minetta Lane Theatre in New York but also through a powerful audio experience to an international audience via Audible. To quote a line from the play: "this is a story for all the misfits, all those who have ever felt 'other.'"

"Being able to introduce our New York audience to Jade Anouka, a powerhouse talent of London's West End, shows the strength and reach of Audible Theater as a cultural passport," said Kate Navin, Artistic Producer of Audible Theater. "Equally thrilling is the addition of this show's audio release which allows us to extend the reach of Jade's incredible work globally to listeners."

HEART, a truly poetic new play, explores the maxim that "Every new story begins as another one ends." Written and performed by London-based actor and poet Jade Anouka ("His Dark Materials"), HEART introduces us to a woman who finds herself married and divorced at age 28. As she begins the process of piecing her life together, she confronts the insecurities and self-imposed boundaries that have always held her back. In the process, she discovers love in the last place-and with the last person-she expected. Directed by Ola Ince, this world premiere production-dedicated to the misfits and "others"-takes the audience on a powerful and relatable journey, one that demonstrates that remarkable things can happen when we follow our instincts and boldly take a chance.

The production features scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado, costume design by Emily Rebholz, lighting design by Jen Schriever, and sound design by Fitz Patton. Brian Bogin is the production stage manager. Technical supervision is by Hudson Theatrical Associates with general management by Baseline Theatrical's Andy Jones and Jonathan Whitton.

TICKETING INFORMATION

Tickets are on sale to the general public at HeartThePlay.com.

HEART runs approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.

HEALTH & SAFETY INFORMATION

Audible Theater values the health and safety of its theatergoers, employees, and performers. All attendees must comply with the Minetta Lane's COVID policy, which is subject to change. Attendees are also required to wear an acceptable face mask at all times. For more information on the Minetta Lane's COVID policy, click here.

BIOGRAPHIES

Jade Anouka recently appeared on our screens as Ruta Skadi in HBO/BBC's "His Dark Materials," Channel 5's "The Drowning," ITV's "Cleaning Up" and Turn Up Charlie on Netflix. In theatre Jade just finished performing in c*ckon the West End and has played the title roles in Hampstead's Olivier nominated The Phlebotomist, Queen Margaret at The Royal Exchange and Romeo & Juliet at Shakespeare's Globe. She has also starred in Moon On A Rainbow Shawl at The National Theatre and in The Donmar Warehouse Shakespeare Trilogy where she played Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, Hotspur in Henry IV and Ariel in The Tempest. All three productions transferred to St Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn. As a poet Jade has performed regularly around London including The Southbank Centre, The Roundhouse and various Sofar Sounds events. She recently recorded her poetry at Abbey Road studios alongside Sam Smith for their song "My Oasis." She's had writing work commissioned by Paines Plough, Audible UK, Stylist Magazine, Broccoli Content, The Young Vic, The Old Vic and BBC Radio 4 where she wrote and performed her short story "This Sunday." Jade did a TEDxTalk 'Being Black, Being a Woman, Being 'Other,' and wrote, directed and co-starred in her award winning short film 'Her & Her' for BBC's Culture In Quarantine. Both can be watched in full on YouTube. Her debut play, HEART, combines her love of writing and acting and she is so hyped that it is making its world premiere in New York, a city that she loves!

Ola Ince (Director) graduated from Rose Bruford College in 2010 with a First Class Honours BA in Theatre Directing. Ola is a critically acclaimed and award winning director. In 2012 she was the Borris Karloff Bursary recipient. In 2015 Ola became a BBC Performing Arts Fellow, Resident Associate Director at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Red Women of the Year nominee. In 2016 she became the Genesis Future Director Award winner and Artistic Associate at Lyric Hammersmith and Theatre Royal Stratford East. In 2018 she won the h100 Theatre & Performance Award. In 2019 she was named one of the Elle list's '50 Game Changers of Now.' Ola was named as one of The Stage 25 in January 2022: "theatremakers to watch out for in 2022 and beyond." Ola has been an Artistic Associate at the Royal Court Theatre and was one of three recipients of the National Theatre's 2020/2021 Sir Peter Hall Bursary.

Kate Pakenham PRODUCTIONS is a production and consultancy company led by London-based producer Kate Pakenham. Kate works with exceptional artists to tell essential stories for today. Previous productions include the multi-Olivier-Award-winning Emilia by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm at The Vaudeville Theatre; the transfer of Hamlet, directed by Yael Farber and starring Ruth Negga, to St. Ann's Warehouse; and Kaleider's The Money at London's County Hall. Kate also acts as an executive and creative consultant across the cultural sector. Clients include: Digital Theatre; The Gate Theatre, Dublin; The National Theatre; The WOW Foundation; The Kiln Theatre; and The Space. Kate was a judge for the 2020 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, for the inaugural Women's Prize for Playwriting in 2021, and, in 2022, is a member of the selection panel for the Writer's Guild of GB's New Play Commission Scheme. She is passionate about platforming and celebrating women's voices and stories. From 2012-2018 Kate was Executive Producer of The Donmar Warehouse where she produced over 40 productions, many of which transferred to the West End, New York, or onto screen. Prior to the Donmar, Kate worked as a producer at The Old Vic Theatre for 11 years. She began her career in television, spending 4 years researching and directing factual programmes for BBC, ITV and Channel 4.

ABOUT AUDIBLE THEATER

Audible Theater makes outstanding performances and powerful storytelling available to millions of people all over the world. As part of this initiative, Audible has produced Girls & Boys with Carey Mulligan, The Half-Life of Marie Curie with Kate Mulgrew, Harry Clarke starring Billy Crudup, Billy Crystal's Have A Nice Day with Annette Bening and Kevin Kline, the revival of Aasif Mandvi's Sakina's Restaurant, and many others at the Minetta Lane Theatre in New York City. In May 2018, Audible announced that the Minetta Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village will serve as its creative home for live performances in New York. Audible hosts and produces a wide variety of live performances at the Minetta Lane including dramatic plays, comedic shows, engaging panel discussions, and more, with Audible members receiving exclusive access to discounted tickets and related audio content.

Audible was co-producer for the Broadway transfer of the Tony Award-nominated Latin History for Morons written by and starring John Leguizamo and for the Tony Award-nominated Sea Wall /A Life starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge. The initiative also saw the release of John Lithgow's Stories By Heart, Judith Light's All The Ways To Say I Love You, Sharon Washington's Feeding The Dragon, and more. Since June 2017, Audible has commissioned 40 theater playwrights to receive support from its $5 million Emerging Playwrights Fund dedicated to developing innovative English-language works from around the globe. The $5 million fund enables the creation of original plays driven by language and voice, keeping with Audible's core commitment to elevating listening experiences through powerful performances and extraordinary vocal storytelling.

ABOUT AUDIBLE, INC.

Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible content includes more than 700,000 audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers.