NicK King and Charlotte Beaumont in Fair Play. Image by Ali Wright.
The clocks are set. The line is drawn. They’ve got a chance to be champions. But at what cost?
When Ann joins Sophie’s running club she’s thrown into a world of regimented training and pure focus. The two girls couldn’t be more different, but soon their shared passion makes them inseparable – dreaming in lanes and lap-times, waking up picturing Olympic medals, each day stronger and faster…
But set head to head in the run up to the World Championships, they find themselves and their friendship put to the ultimate test. As their relationships, their bodies, and their very identities are pulled into public scrutiny, does being exceptional come at too high a price?
A gripping exploration of the underside of women’s athletics, Fair Play is the new work from Ella Road (The Phlebotomist) – “the most promising young playwright in Britain” (The Telegraph).
We are proud to be working in partnership with Intersex UK, Holly Greenberry & Dr Payoshni Mitra to realise this production of Fair Play.
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Director Monique Touko made her professional debut with Malindadzimu by Mufuro Makubika at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs. Her directing training included the Regional Theatre Young Directors Scheme at Royal Exchange Manchester and at the Young Vic, her training involved the Intro to Directing course led by Sasha Wares, Boris Karloff Trainee Assistant Directors Programme, and the Jerwood Assistant Director Scheme.
Her assisting credits include Wishlist by Katherine Soper, directed by Matthew Xia at Royal Exchange Manchester and Royal Court, HighTides’ touring production of Kanye The First by Sam Steiner directed by Andrew Twyman, Yellowman by Dael Orlandersmith directed by Nancy Medina at Young Vic, China Plate’s On the Exhale by Martin Zimmerman directed by Christopher Haydon at Traverse Theatre, Cock by Mike Bartlett directed by Kate Hewitt at Chichester Festival Theatre, Shakespeare’s Richard II directed Lynette Linton and Adjoa Andoh at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Ibsen’s Rosmersholm adapted by Duncan Macmillan, directed by Ian Rickson at Duke of York Theatre and Lorca’s Blood Wedding adapted by Marina Carr directed by Yael Farber at Young Vic.
She is also part of The Ubunifu Space which is an online platform that builds and raises the profiles of creative artists within Africa. Monique is Partnership Manager and Assistant Producer for Ubunifu Radio as well as a regular member of the UK reaction team on the youtube channel which has a global following of 300K+ subscribers.
