Cast Set For DIZZY By Mohamed-Zain Dada at Sheffield Theatres

A co-production from Theatre Centre and Sheffield Theatres, DIZZY is written by Olivier-nominated Mohamed-Zain Dada (Blue Mist, Royal Court) and directed by Artistic Director of Theatre Centre Rob Watt (Wish You Weren't Here, Sheffield Theatres).

A unique meditation on connection, loss, and memory, Dizzy will star Brendan Barclay (The Importance of Being…Earnest?) as Stax, the voice of Dizzy will be performed by Reda Elazouar (Sex Education, Pirates by Reggie Yates), and Sera Mustafa (Crackers) will play Qamar.
 

Qamar, 15-year-old maths genius, looks for patterns in everything. Desperate for answers following her brother's death, she meets Stax, infamous graffiti artist and her brother's mentor. Under Stax's guidance she dives into the underground world of street art, and discovers the dream-like space known as the Axis. As she navigates her memories through the art her brother loved, she uncovers hidden layers of her brother's life and her own, forging unbreakable bonds that defy mortality. 
 

Told visually onstage, paired with an immersive headphone soundscape, Dizzy is a daringly original story of graffiti culture and grief brought to life using the lens of magical realism.

Writer of Dizzy, Mohamed-Zain Dada, said: “It's been a brilliant process of looking into graffiti culture in London (working with writers like BOPA), director Rob and young people from across England. One of the striking things a graffiti writer told me through the process of developing this show was that 'tagging is like a love letter to a space or building in some ways, a mediation on impermanence' and I think this idea of reckoning with impermanence is really what sits at the heart of this play”.

Through Theatre Centre's innovative Future Makers programme and Zain's tenure as Resident Writer, Dizzy has been developed with generous support from Backstage Trust and The John Thaw Foundation, and from conversations with hundreds of young people across the country to deliver an authentic and outstanding piece of new writing which speaks to the here and now.

Rob Watt, Artistic Director of Theatre Centre and Director of Dizzy said: “In collaboration with hundreds of young people across England, Zain has created a story that truly resonates. Dizzy is a magical adventure that speaks to the profound losses many young people experience post-pandemic. Through immersive sound design by the sonic genius Mwen, we aim to transport our audience deep into the heart of the story.”

Dizzy is the latest collaboration between Theatre Centre and Sheffield Theatres, following Katie Redford's Wish You Weren't Here performed in early 2024 and is the fourth production in a longstanding partnership between the two producing houses. The previous co-productions were Charlie Josephine's Birds and Bees (2023) and Ryan Calais Cameron's Human Nurture (2022).