Gate Theatre Announces Full Casting for World Premiere of ASSATA TAUGHT ME

Gate Theatre, Notting Hill today announces the full cast for its world première production of Assata Taught Me, the debut play by Kalungi Ssebandeke which tells the story of an imagined friendship between Assata Shakur, former Black Panther and the FBI's most wanted woman, and her pupil in Cuba. Associate Director of the Gate Lynette Linton directs Adjoa Andoh as Assata and Kenneth Omole as Fanuco in the production which opens on 8 May, with previews from 4 May, running until 27 May.

Fanuco's taking English lessons from the only American he knows. The thing is, she's the FBI's most wanted woman and he's a Cuban teenager desperate to live the American Dream.

When will he realise his mentor is a former Black Panther, a convicted felon and the bounty on her head has just been upped to two million dollars?

The world première of Ssebandeke's gripping and tense play explores black struggle across generations and genders.

This is Kalungi Ssebandeke's first full length play. He has previously appeared as an actor at the Gate in Image of an Unknown Young Woman. His short plays include View of Her Own Beauty, My Darling Wife, The Star and Raceless.

Adjoa Andoh plays Assata. Her recent theatre work includes Soul (Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Hackney Empire), Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Donmar Warehouse), A Wolf in Snakeskin Shoes (Tricycle Theatre), Great Expectations (Bristol Old Vic), Julius Caesar (RSC), Or You Could Kiss Me, The Revenger's Tragedy, His Dark Materials and Stuff Happens (National Theatre), Joe Turner's Come and Gone and In The Red and Brown Water (Young Vic), Sugar Mummies, Breath Boom (Royal Court Theatre) and Pericles and Nights at the Circus (Lyric Hammersmith/Kneehigh). For television, she has appeared as a series regular in M.I. High, Missing, Doctor Who, Casualty and Chasing Shadows and her other recent television credits include Liar, Acceptable Risk, Line of Duty, River, Cucumber and The Life of Rock with Brian Pern; and for recent film, Brotherhood, Remainder, Invictus and Adulthood and Julius Caesar. She has also worked extensively on the radio and is the reader of the award-winning No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Audiobook series.

Kenneth Omole plays Fanuco. He recently graduated from Rose Bruford College and this marks his professional stage debut.

Lynette Linton is a director and playwright. She is the current Associate Director of the Gate Theatre and co-founder of Production Company Black Apron Entertainment. Her directing credits include Indenture (Dark Horse Festival), Naked (Vault Festival 2015), Pornado (Theatre Royal Stratford East), This Wide Night (Albany Theatre), a scratch performance of Sweet Like Chocolate, Boy (Rich Mix), and she was co-director on Chicken Palace (which she also wrote, Theatre Royal Stratford East). As an Assistant Director her work for the Gate includes Image of An Unknown Young Woman and The Christians and she also worked on Torn at The Royal Court Theatre. Her writing credits include Step, Service (Boom Festival, Bush Theatre), Ergo Sum (Theatre Delicatessen) and #Hashtag Lightie (Arcola Theatre).

For more information visit www.gatetheatre.co.uk.

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