Cast Announced For FAVOUR, a Bush Theatre and Clean Break Co-Production

The Bush Theatre continues its 50th Anniversary season with Ambreen Razia's Favour a world premiere co-produced with Clean Break. Co-directed by Clean Break's Joint Artistic director Róisín McBrinn and Sophie Dillon Moniram, the cast is today announced as Avita Jay, Renu Brindle, Rina Fatania, and Ashna Rabheru.

Co-directors Róisín and Sophie said, 'We are thrilled to be working with such an extraordinary group of talented women, to tell this important story of four women whose lives are touched by imprisonment. We can't wait to collaborate with them to embody Ambreen's magnificent script, exploring realities which are often untold.'

Favour is a touching and hopeful family drama that tackles duty, addiction, and the battle of putting yourself back together. Writer of Diary of a Hounslow Girl Ambreen Razia's remarkable new play, tells a strikingly frank story of a working-class Muslim family in a way never seen before on stage.

Leila is happy living at home with Noor, her loving but traditional grandmother. When Aleena, her fiercely independent mother, returns home from prison determined to deliver a new world of fun and excitement, their calm lives are upended in a blur of nail varnish and sweet treats. Family secrets come tumbling into the light, and Leila finds deciding on her future more difficult than she first thought.

Renu Brindle who plays Noor returned to her first love, acting, a few years ago after working as a dentist. She graduated from LAMDA in 2006. Since her return, she has appeared in several screen roles including Call The Midwife, Joss Whedon's The Nevers for HBO, and Working Title Films' Polite Society. Favour is a very welcome return to the stage for Renu.

Rina Fatania who plays Fozia trained at the Central School of Speech & Drama and has recently been seen as Julie in the UK tour of Tim Firth's Sheila's Island. Theatre credits include Susheela Parekh in NW Trilogy (Kiln Theatre); Christie in The Language of Kindness (Wayward Productions); Brenda Highthorpe in The Man In The White Suit (Wyndham's Theatre); Mrs. Peachum in Dead Dog in a Suitcase (2019 UK Tour); Sameena in Approaching Empty (Kiln Theatre, Tamasha & Live Theatre); Panna in The Village (Theatre Royal Stratford East); Anna Bronski in The Tin Drum (Kneehigh Theatre, UK Tour); Charlotte /Monks in Oliver Twist (Regents Park, Open Air Theatre); Jean in Roller Diner (Soho Theatre); & Nanima in Anita & Me (UK Tour). Other theatre includes Green Genie Uzz in Sinbad the Sailor (Theatre Royal Stratford East); Parisa in Paradise of the Assassins (Tara Arts); Bindi in Love N Stuff (Theatre Royal Stratford East, 2013 & 2016); Mrs Peachum in Dead Dog in a Suitcase (UK & International tour); Mummyji in Mummyji Presents (Birmingham Rep - The Door); Genie of the Ring in Aladdin (De Montford Hall, Leicester); Firoza in The Empress (RSC, The Swan Theatre); Fairy Bowbells in Dick Whittington (Hackney Empire); Bindi/ Sameena Bibi in Wah! Wah! Girls (Sadler's Wells/ UK Tour); The Queen of the Empire in Cinderella (Hackney Empire); Abdul/ Mother in Guantanamo Boy (Brolly Productions); Bibiji in Britain's Got Bhangra (UK Tour); The Vagina Monologues (Alchemy Festival, Southbank); Bushra in The House of Bilquis Bibi (Hampstead Theatre & UK Tour); Bibiji in Britain's Got Bhangra (Rifco Arts); Ayah in Wuthering Heights (Tamasha Theatre Co.); Kiran/ Ila in, characters devised by Rina in It Aint All Bollywood (Rifco Arts/ National & Pakistan Tour); Mrs. Gupta/ Ruby in A Fine Balance (Tamasha Theatre Co.); Zainab/ Hasina in The Child of Divide (Tamasha Theatre Co/ New York & L.A Tour); Agnes in Meri Christmas (Rifco Arts); Kiran in The Deranged Marriage (Rifco Arts); Pushpa in Strictly Dandia (Tamasha Theatre Co.); Swing in Bombay Dreams (Apollo Victoria, West End); & Dunyazaad in Arabian Nights (Midland Arts Centre). TV credits include Too Close (Snowed In Productions); Wanderlust (BBC, Netflix) & People Just Do Nothing (BBC). Film Credits include Little English (Resource Productions); Shawafa (short, 2019); Raabta (Bollywood Film); Mummji Presents (BBC Space/ Pravesh Kumar); Shammu in Mumbai Charlie (Pukkanasha Films); Agent in Catch That Train (Painting Pictures). Radio credits include Big Babushka in SLAVS (Hampstead Theatre); Relativity (BBC Radio 4); Bindi Business by Tanika Gupta (BBC Radio); Baby Farming by Tanika Gupta (BBC Radio 3); Meghna in We Are Water (BBC World Service); Meghna in Oceans Unite Us (BBC World Service); Mrs. Patel in Silver Street (BBC Asian Network.

Avita Jay plays Aleena. Her theatre credits include The Comedy of Errors (RSC); The Winter's Tale (RSC); Lovely Bones (Birmingham Rep); Billionaire Boy (NST Theatre/UK Tour); The Secret Garden (York Theatre Royal); The Jungle Book (National Tour); Bottled Up (Lyric Hammersmith); Bring on the Bollywood (National Tour); We're Stuck (Shoreditch Town Hall & National Tour); Rapunzel (Park Theatre); Pioneer (Sheffield Crucible & Tour); Warde Street (Park Theatre); Unsung (Wilton's Music Hall); The Merry Wives of Windsor (national tour); Sunday Morning at the Centre of the World (Southwark Playhouse). Her television credits include Doctors (BBC); Emmerdale (ITV); Silent Witness (BBC); Coronation Street (ITV); Down Under Crew (DU Productions UK); L8R (BBC). On film Avita has appeared in The Rezort (Matador Pictures); London, Paris, New York (Fox Star Studios); Twenty8K (Formosa Films). Other credits include Milky Peaks (Workshop at The National Theatre & Theatr Clwyd); Octopus (Rehearsed Reading at The Arcola).

Ashna Rabheru plays Leila. Ashna trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and her theatre performances include The Animal Kingdom (Hampstead Theatre) Two Billion Beats (Orange Tree Theatre) Living Newspaper Project (Royal Court Theatre); Santi & Naz (VAULTS Festival); [BLANK] (Donmar Warehouse); Top Girls (National Theatre) and Trojan Horse (LUNG/Leeds Playhouse). Ashna's television work includes Red Rose (Netflix/BBC), All the Small Things (BBC); Pickle Jar (NBC Universal); Sex Education (Netflix)Year of the Rabbit (Channel 4); Bounty (Channel 4); Indian Summers (Channel 4); and Is This Thing On? (BBC). On radio she has appeared in The System (BBC Radio 4), Electric Decade: The Good Soldier (BBC Radio 4); Bottled (BBC Radio 4); Deacon: Moonlight on Water; (BBC Radio 4); Splott (BBC Radio Wales) , Dangerous Visions; Perimeter (BBC Radio 4) and Where This Service Will Continue (BBC Radio 4).

Ambreen Razia is an actress and writer from South London. Her critically acclaimed play The Diary of a Hounslow Girl toured nationally around the UK and was adapted as a BBC Three pilot. Her play POT which focuses on girls in gangs and children in the UK care system was published by Oberon books and completed a national tour around the UK in 2018. She co-wrote her short film Relapse which centered around reoffending after prison. Her screenplay Romani Girl was commissioned and produced by Theatre Royal Stratford East in 2020. Ambreen co-edited the BBC Radio 4 chat show Gossip and Goddesses with Meera Syal as well as being a part of several writers' rooms. Ambreen was part of the BBC writers' room and on the BBC Talent Hotlist as well as being a member of the Royal Court Writers Group. Recent acting credits include Hounslow Diaries (BBC), Scrapper (BFI/Film 4), Black Mirror (Netflix), This Way Up (Channel 4), Starstruck (BBC), and The Curse (Channel 4). Awards include 'Best Newcomer' (Asian Media Awards), Eastern Eye's 'Emerging Artist' award, and 'Best Newcomer' at the Edinburgh Television Awards.

Róisín McBrinn is Joint Artistic Director of Clean Break. She has over fifteen years of experience as a theatre director working in the UK, Ireland, and internationally. For Clean Break she has directed Thick as Thieves (Theatr Clwyd), Joanne (Soho Theatre and RSC), and House/Amongst the Reeds (Yard Theatre). Amongst others, Róisín has directed for The Abbey Theatre in Dublin (A Taste of Honey/No Escape/ Perve/Heartbreak House), The Gate Theatre Dublin (The Snapper), Sheffield Theatres (Afterplay), Leeds Playhouse (Yerma), The Tricycle (The Field) and as Associate Director for Sherman Theatre (Before It Rains, Sleeping Beauties and It's A Family Affair). Her awards include the Quercus Award (National Theatre) and the Young Vic Jerwood Young Directors' Award. She has been nominated for the Irish Times Best Director Award.

Sophie Dillon Moniram was attached to The Old Vic as an Old Vic 12 director in 2018 where she developed a new play, Homo Sacer. She has been on The National Theatre Studio's Directing Course and is a graduate of Mountview Academy's Theatre Directing MA. Her directing credits include POT by Ambreen Razia (National Tour produced by Rua Arts, supported by Ovalhouse and Stratford Circus); The Diary of a Hounslow Girl by Ambreen Razia (initially commissioned by Ovalhouse, with subsequent National Tours produced by Black Theatre Live & House Theatre, and produced as an audio play for Audible); The Falling (audio piece for Audible/LAMDA); You Bury Me (Staged reading) (The Gate); Uncle Vanya (Guildhall); As You Like It & A Winter's Tale (LAMDA); Three Sisters (Guildhall); Homo Sacer (Staged Reading) (Old Vic); 'Tis Pity She's a Whore & Women Beware Women (LAMDA); dirty butterfly (Guildhall); Midsummer Roman Feast (RSC); F**king Outside the Box (VAULT Festival); The Five Stages of Waiting (Tristan Bates Theatre); Indian Summer (White Bear Theatre); Creditors (The Cockpit Theatre); The Star-Spangled Girl (Karamel Club); Purgatorio (Karamel Club); Noah (short play) by Amir Nizar Zuabi (Young Vic Theatre) and several series of short plays written by prisoners (Synergy Theatre Projects). Her productions as Associate/Resident Director include The Greatest Wealth directed by Adrian Lester (Old Vic), The Ocean at the End of the Lane directed by Katy Rudd (National Theatre & Duke of York's Theatre), The Visit directed by Jeremy Herrin (National Theatre), Myth directed by Kirsty Housley (RSC) and Yerma directed by Simon Stone (Young Vic Theatre & NT Live).

Tickets priced from £20 (concessions available) can be booked at bushtheatre.co.uk or at the Box Office on 020 8743 5050.

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