RED PITCH Returns to the Bush Theatre in September

One of the hit productions of the Bush Theatre’s 50th anniversary year, Red Pitch returns to the Bush Theatre, London for three weeks only from 7 September.  Original cast members Kedar Williams-Stirling, Emeka Sesay and Francis Lovehall play three football-obsessed teens in director Daniel Bailey’s production.

Red Pitch. South London. Three lifelong friends Omz, Bilal and Joey are playing football. Like they always have. Living out dreams of football stardom. Beyond their football pitch, local shops are closing, old flats are being demolished as new flats shoot up, some residents struggle to stay while others rush to leave. 

When a small football pitch has been a home from home, a place you’ve laughed, fought and forged friendships, what happens when it’s under threat? 

The fast-paced and sharp-edged play by Tyrell Williams tells a powerful story of gentrification versus regeneration and the impact of this relentless change on London’s communities. 

The 2022 production of Tyrell Williams’ Red Pitch won the Off West End Award for Best New Play and Tyrell won the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright, The Stage Debut Award for Best Writer, the Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright and the George Devine Award. The production was nominated for a further seven Off West End Awards including Best Production, Best Performance Ensemble and Best Director.

Tyrell Williams is an award-winning writer and director for theatre, film, and television. Red Pitch is currently in development for a screen adaptation with Fudge Park. In addition to another original series he also has in development with Fudge Park, he has written an episode of an upcoming Apple TV+ series. 

Tyrell has been named one of Deadline’s 5 rising writers to watch in 2023 and is currently on attachment to The National Theatre Studio. In 2015, Tyrell co-created, co-wrote and directed the viral web series #Hood Documentary which has had over 4 million views on YouTube. Following its online acclaim, #HoodDocumentary eventually went on to be commissioned for BBC Three which Tyrell directed and co-wrote. Tyrell was on the BAFTA Elevate scheme 2018 and was a Broadcast Hotshot in 2016.

Director Daniel Bailey is a director, dramaturg and writer for stage and screen. He is Associate Artistic Director at the Bush Theatre, London, having joined the team in 2019 alongside Artistic Director Lynette Linton. Prior roles include Associate Director at Birmingham Rep Theatre (after initially joining as part of the Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme), Resident Director at The National Theatre Studio, Associate Artist at Theatre Royal Stratford East, Resident Assistant Director at The Finborough Theatre, and on the Young Vic’s directing programme.

His directing work at the Bush Theatre includes Lenny Henry’s August in England (co-directed with Lynette Linton), Red Pitch by Tyrell Williams and Temi Wilkey’s The High Table (Stage Debut Award winner 2020). I Wonder If (presented with YV Taking Part) ran at the Young Vic in 2022 before going on a community tour, and Daniel was the Creative Associate on the UK Premiere of Bootycandy at Gate Theatre. His work at Birmingham Rep includes Joe Penhall’s Blue Orange; Concubine; Stuff; I Knew You Abuelo; Jump! We’ll Catch You; Made In India/Britain and Exhale. His previous directing work includes plays with Talawa Theatre Company, Manchester Royal Exchange, New Heritage Theatre, and the New Vic.

His film and TV director credits include Dropped (Mothers Best Child), On Belonging (Young Vic), Malachi (S.E.D), Floating on Clouds (Kingdom Entertainment Group) and Y.O.L.O. Therapy (S.E.D)

Kedar Williams-Stirling stars in the Netflix series Sex Education. His television credits include Steve McQueen’s anthology series Small Axe for the BBC and Amazon, Will for TNT, the History Channel mini-series Roots and Wolfblood.  Kedar’s stage credits include playing Young Simba in The Lion King (Lyceum), Big White Fog (Almeida Theatre), Welcome to Thebes (National Theatre), The Dutchman and The History Boys.

Francis Lovehall co-stars in the television series A Thousand Blows for Disney+ which is currently in production. He made his screen debut in Steve McQueen’s highly acclaimed Small Axe: Lovers Rock. Other credits include His Dark Materials, upcoming Apple TV series Criminal Record and Netflix series Champion. Francis made his professional debut on stage in Nick Hytner’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Bridge Theatre before graduating RADA in 2019. For his role in the original production of Red Pitch, Francis was nominated for an Evening Standard Theatre Award in the Emerging Artist category.

Emeka Sesay recently shot Jeymes Samuel’s The Book of Clarence, prior to that he appeared in the BBC independent feature Pretty Red Dress directed by Dionne Edwards.  His previous credits include The Power for Amazon, The Novels That Shaped Us for BBC 2 with Russell Tovey, Top Boy for Netflix and Armando Iannucci’s David Copperfield alongside Dev Patel, Hugh Laurie, and Tilda Swinton. In 2016 Emeka appeared in Shadowman as well as BAFTA nominated short films Samuel613 and Goodnight.

Red Pitch is supported by Cockayne Grants for the Arts, a donor-advised fund at the London Community Foundation, and Backstage Trust.

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