Cast Confirmed For SILKWORM, Premiering At 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Silkworm is the story of two young women, Abidemi and Omolade, living in a Glasgow tower block, seeking asylum from the UK Home Office on the basis of their sexual orientation, and waiting to hear the result of their case. How do they prove their claim, and how far will they be pushed in order to justify it?

A witty, intimate and intense study of two vulnerable, strong women as they desperately seek the words to help them navigate their way through a savage and dehumanising system - told throughout with a lightness of touch and mordant humour.

"You look beautiful today. I like how the light falls on your eyes. You have beautiful eyes. They remind me of my first dog..."

Silkworm will star Ewa Dina in the role of Abidemi, and Antonia Layiwola as Omolade. Ewa is a Nigerian-born, London-based actor, director, facilitator, voiceover artist & poet, and currently associate director at Nouveau Riche and 1/5 of Theatre Peckham's resident in-house theatre company: No-Table. Antonia trained at De Monfort University and gained a BA Hons degree in Performing Arts. She was directed by Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor in the short film Bone. Her most recent theatre credits include Is Dat U Yh? with Initiative Dkf and Protests, Hymns & Caskets at Belgrade Theatre.

Originally set to open in Edinburgh in 2020 before the Festival's cancellation, the play was recently announced as a winner of the Assembly ART Award. Each of the ART Award winners receive in-kind support from Assembly Festival up to a value of £5.5k, including three weeks' rehearsal space at the Roxy Theatre, Fringe registration fees, and development and promotional support.

Silkworm was also shortlisted for the 2020 Popcorn Award, which champions fearless work that playfully and artistically questions and addresses current affairs, societal trends and contributes positively to public debate.

Writer Vlad Butucea is a Romanian playwright based in Glasgow. His play Glowstick was produced as part of The National Theatre of Scotland's Interference trilogy in 2019. He has also worked with the NTS on two recent projects with award-winning director Hope Dickson Leach: Ghost Light, a poetic tribute to the art of theatre-making as part of the 2020 Edinburgh International Festival, and innovative hybrid production The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde which was staged at Leith Theatre and will receive a widespread cinema release later this year.

Director Mojisola Elufowoju is a theatre-maker and the Artistic Director of the Sheffield-based Utopia Theatre Company, touring work by African playwrights and artists across the UK. Recent credits for Utopia include Here's What She Said to Me by Oladipo Agboluaje.

Pearlfisher is a new theatre company for Scotland - and beyond - dedicated to new work and talent development. Pearlfisher are Caitlin Skinner, Mike Griffiths and Philip Howard

Silkworm is supported by Creative Scotland.

Dates: 5th - 28th Aug 2022 (Previews 3rd - 4th Aug)

Venue: Assembly Roxy, 2 Roxburgh Place Edinburgh EH8 9SU (Venue 139)

Time: 6.50pm

Tickets: £13.50, concessions £12.50 (Previews £8.50/7.50)