5* Production THE LAST SHOW BEFORE WE DIE By Hotter Project Announces A Triumphant Return To The Yard

The Yard Theatre in Hackney Wick remains at the forefront of theatre, boasting another 5* show in Samuel Takes A Break, winning Off West End awards this weekend for ‘Best Director' and ‘Best Costume Designer' for The Flea and announced the welcome return of The Last Show Before We Die, following a sold-out run in January.

“In the face of theatre's current landscape, we refuse to bow down to intense negativity.” Artistic Director, Jay Miller said, ‘We've witnessed a surge of exhilarating new voices, fostering talent both on and offstage, and received an overwhelmingly positive response from our audiences. We're so lucky to work with the most talented creatives in the business and as we charge ahead into 2024, expect nothing but greatness from The Yard.”

Over the weekend, as Miller accepted the award at the Off West End awards, issuing a rallying cry – “Today feels as difficult [when talking about the founding of The Yard in 2011], if not more difficult in terms of making theatre. So what can we do? Please write to your opposition candidate. We have to lobby, write, and talk to as many people as possible who have any influence over the next government for more money in the arts. It's essential. We need to imagine a better future, and we can only do that together.'

THE LAST SHOW BEFORE WE DIE

By HOTTER Project
Writers & Performers Mary Higgins, Ell Potter
Producer Eve Allin
Director Sammy J Glover
Sound Designer & Musical Director Tom Foskett-Barnes
Lighting Designer David Doyle

1 - 13 April 
Monday - Saturday at 7:30pm
Matinees - Saturdays 6 & 13 April at 2:30pm

This April, Ell Potter and Mary Higgins of HOTTER Project return to The Yard Theatre, Hackney Wick following sold-out 5★ runs at last year's Edinburgh Fringe and in January at The Yard.  Probing life's biggest question: how do you know when it's the end? This genre-bending production runs at The Yard from 1 - 13 April 2024.

A hyper-sensory mash-up of found audio and interviews, The Last Show Before We Die attempts to answer our existential questions - profound and profane - across generations. A 93-year-old, former addict, midwife, climate activist and others share perspectives on endings inspired by zombies, heartbreak, and tenacious cockroaches.

Though known for hit shows tackling sex and shame, Ell and Mary's signature candid style takes a dark turn here. This macabre cabaret promises an unforgettable reckoning with mortality, minus any happy endings.

Mary Higgins and Ell Potter are actors, writers, and ex-partners. They are the co-founders of HOTTER Project, a queer creative collective dedicated to creating radically honest (and silly) work about the stuff that no one wants to talk about. Their previous sell-out shows HOTTER and FITTER tackled sex, bodies and shame, and now the pair are applying their verbatim cabaret methods to perhaps the scariest theme yet: endings. Other credits include Lem N Ginge: the Princess of Kakos and Life of Bi: a slippery history of bisexuality.

Since performing sell-out runs across the UK and earning raves for previous "sweaty, gut-wrenching" shows, the duo's work has only gained resonance, recently becoming the recipients of Wise Children's 2024 Company Mentorship Scheme. 

Face your fear of the finale with Ell and Mary and this messy, outrageous meditation on the beauty and absurdity of it all. Just don't expect closure.

The Yard Theatre presents

Samuel Takes A Break… In Male Dungeon No. 5 After A Long But Generally Successful Day Of Tours

By Rhianna Ilube

Directed by Anthony Simpson-Pike
Set and Costume Designer Milla Clarke
Sound Designer XANA 
Lighting Designer Chris Nairne 
Video Designer Gino Ricardo Green
Movement Director Sung Im Her
Casting Director Jatinder Chera

Cast – Fode Simbo, Bola Akeju, Tori Allen-Martin and Stefan Asante-Boateng

Now playing and extended until 23 March
Monday - Saturday at 7:30pm
Matinees - Saturday 2, 9, 16 & 23 March at 2:30pm

The Yard Theatre has today released a trailer for Rhianna Ilube's debut play, Samuel Takes A Break …in Male Dungeon No. 5 After A Long But Generally Successful Day of Tours.  Currently nominated for this year's Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the production has been extended by two extra weeks due to popular demand and now ends on 23 March.

Directed by Anthony Simpson-Pike, The Yard Theatre's Deputy Artistic Director, Samuel Takes a Break is a captivating exploration of colonialism's enduring impact on British Identity. Set in Ghana's Year of Return in 2019, this genre-defying narrative follows Samuel, a tour guide, and Orange, a ticket officer, as they navigate the historical complexities of Cape Coast Castle, and their contrasting relationship with it. The cast are Fode Simbo, Bola Akeju, Tori Allen-Martin and Stefan Asante-Boateng.

When Trev and Letty, two Black Britons, embark on a journey to rediscover their roots, the fabric of history unravels before their eyes. A reckoning ensues, compelling Samuel to confront deep-seated truths and redefine his relationship with the past. We are the tourists and this is a soul-searching odyssey through time, space, and the inner turmoil of one man's quest for identity – and a life.

Rhianna Ilube is a playwright and events curator from London. Her debut play, Samuel Takes A Break, was Highly Commended for the Soho Theatre's Verity Bargate Award, and shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Playwriting. She is currently a member of the Soho Six and an alumnus of the Royal Court Intro Group, Oxford Playmakers, BBC London Voices and Omnibus Theatre's Engine Room. She developed her first TV pilot with Expanded Media for a Sky Table Read in May 2023. Rhianna was previously Associate Director at interactive theatre-makers Coney, where she has written '1884', a new game-theatre show premiering in Spring 2024. She is also a film programmer for BFI Flare and has curated events for cultural venues and NGOs across London and Berlin since 2015.

Director Anthony Simpson-Pike is a director, dramaturg, and writer. He is currently Deputy Artistic Director at The Yard Theatre and was previously Associate Director at The Gate Theatre. Anthony is also a facilitator, having worked with young people and communities at the Gate, the Royal Court, the Young Vic, the Globe, and The National Theatre. Recent directorial work includes the Olivier award-winning The P Word and Lava at the Bush; An Octoroon at the Abbey, Dublin; Living Newspaper at the Royal Court; The Electric for Paines Plough and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; and The Ridiculous Darkness at the Gate, London  As a dramaturg, Anthony has developed multiple seasons of work for the Gate and The Yard Theatre. Recent dramaturgical credits include Much Ado About Nothing for the RSC; Samskara at The Yard Theatre; Hotline with Produced Moon at the Tron; Dear Young Monster by Pete McHale for The Queer House; and Coup de Grace at the Royal Court. Samuel Takes a Break… will be the first play Anthony has directed at The Yard Theatre.

The creative team includes Set and Costume Designer Milla Clarke, Sound Designer Xana, and Lighting Designer Chris Nairne, alongside Video Designer Gino Ricardo Green, Movement Director Sung Im Her, and Casting Director Jatinder Chera, all of whom recently worked on The Yard's biggest selling show The Flea.

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