House of Ife at Bush Theatre. Photo by Marc Brenner.
‘See that’s the problem with this family innit, we never wanna talk real about Ife.’
In the wake of the sudden death of their eldest son, Ife, one family is forced to confront the traumas they’ve long tried to bury. As the sun beats down on their North London flat, and the head of the family arrives from Ethiopia for the funeral, tensions rise, cultures clash and past betrayals are unearthed.
A tense and captivating story of what it means to belong, and what happens when a family’s secrets shake its foundations. This explosive drama by Ethiopian-British writer Beru Tessema is a new Bush commission directed by Artistic Director, Lynette Linton.
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House of Ife Pre-Show Information
Beru Tessema is an Ethiopian-British writer and director based in London. He is a graduate of the London Film School and RADA, making work for both stage and screen.
Beru’s stage play, Exile in North Weezy, was shortlisted for the Papatango Playwriting Prize 2020. His latest play, House of Ife, premiered at Bush Theatre to brilliant reviews, he is now working on a new play commissioned by Bush Theatre and Tamasha, Wolves on Road. Beru’s short film Lions, made with the support of CNC and BFI NETWORK was recently awarded the UniFrance Grand Prix for Best International Short Film at Cannes, it also competed at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2023 and was nominated for a BIFA. Beru has written Letting Go, a drama for Channel 4 to be broadcast later this year for BlackLight and he is now developing a TV series with them called First Love. Beru was part of BBC Drama Writersroom 2020-21 and is an Oxbelly Episodic Program Fellow 2023.
Crystal’s theatre credits include Snow Queen (New Wolsey Theatre), Overflow (Bush Theatre), The High Table (Bush Theatre), Cinderella (New Wolsey – Art Deport), We Anchor in Hope (Bunker Theatre), As You Like It (Queen Theatre Hornchurch), End of History (The Royal Court), Inside Bitch (Clean Break), Snow White And Seven Dwarfs (Regent Theatre), Mysterious Gentleman (Courtyard Theatre), Treasure Island, Mr Tod, Richard The Third (Red Rose Chain- The Avenue), Fallen in Love (Red Rose Chain – The Tower of London), The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Comedy Of Errors, (Red Rose Chain – Theatre in the Forest), Betty Blue Eyes (Mercury Theatre), Zatopek (Second Movement), Commencing (Joined At the Hip – Etcetera Theatre), A Face In A Jar (Inside Job Theatre Projects), Buried Child (Ovation Theatre Limited), Gambling (Elanor Lloyd in association with Soho Theatre), A View From A Bridge (Mercury Theatre).
Duramaney Kamara was the composer, sound designer and resident DJ for Dismantle, a festival of work by Project 2036 at the Bush Theatre.
As music and sound designer, his credits for the Royal Court include: My Mum’s a Twat and Instructions For Correct Assembly. As composer & sound designer, for the Royal Court: Katzenmusik (Young Court); Tottenham Symphony(Beyond the Court).
As a performer, his theatre credits include: Boy (Almeida); The Response (Seagull/Mercury). As a performer, film credits include: Yardie, What Happened to Evie.
Frankie Bradshaw is an award winning set and costume designer for theatre and performance. She won the Best Creative West End Debut at the Stage Debut Awards 2019 jointly with director Lynette Linton for Sweat at the Gielgud Theatre. She was a Jerwood Young Designer in 2017, she won the Off West-End Best Set Design award in 2016, and was a Linbury prize finalist in 2015. Frankie’s recent design credits for theatre include: Sweat (West End/Donmar Warehouse), Two Trains Running (Royal & Derngate/UK Tour), Cinderella (Lyric Hammersmith), A Christmas Carol (Theatre Clwyd), Napoli Brooklyn (UK Tour/Park Theatre), Skellig (Nottingham Playhouse), Trying It On (UK Tour/RSC/Royal Court), Kiss Me Kate, Jerusalem, Nesting, Robin Hood (Watermill Theatre), Cookies (Theatre Royal Haymarket), On The Exhale (Traverse), Hansel (Salisbury Playhouse). For opera she has designed: Macbeth, Idomeneo and Elizabetta for English Touring Opera.
Heather Basten is an English casting director based in London, and a member of the Casting Directors Guild (UK), and the Casting Society of America (USA). In 2021 she was recognised as a Screen International Star of Tomorrow.
As well as casting Fair Play for The Bush Theatre, Heather has also cast the upcoming 6-Ep musical TV series Jungle for Amazon Studio and Dreaming Whilst Black for the BBC. She has most recently cast the Stone Age-set film The Origin, which is the newest sophomore feature from UK producer Oliver Kassman (Saint Maud).
Heather is currently casting a new exciting slate of green-lit films across the BFI, Blumhouse, Film 4 and the BBC, and casting more theatre for The Bush. Heather is assisted by Fran Cattaneo.
Joel Trill’s recent work in theatre includes: The 47th, A Number and Bagdad Cafe (Old Vic), All My Sons and As You Like It (Queens Theatre Hornchurch), Statements After An Arrest Under The Immorality Act (Orange Tree), Love Letters (Queens Theatre), J’Ouvert (Harold Pinter), Mirror Mirror, Master Harold and The Boys (National), Rockets & Blue Lights (Royal Exchange), Trojan Horse (Battersea Arts Centre), A Taste of Honey (Trafalgar Studios), Two Trains Runnin (Royal & Derngate), Red Dust Road (National Theatre of Scotland), Strange Fruit (Bush Theatre), One Night in Miami (Nottingham Playhouse), Glass Menagerie (Arcola). Film & TV: The White Lotus, Riches, The Confessions Of Frannie Langton, Gangs of London (Season 2), The Crown (Season 5), Citadel, My Name is Leon, Empire, The Ancestors, Queen & Slim, Mama Ks Team 4, There’s Something About The Movies.
Kane Husbands is the founder and artistic director of The PappyShow and a lecturer at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. His work is all about community and bringing people together to move, share practice and play. He is a facilitator, director, performer and maker specialising in movement, dance, ensemble and physical theatre. An associate of the National Youth Theatre, Squint Theatre and The North Wall (Oxford). He choreographed the Welcoming Ceremonies of the London Olympics, Paralympics, and the Glasgow Commonwealth Team.
He has worked across National Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre, Nottingham Playhouse, Sheffield Crucible Theatre, the Old Vic, the Midlands Arts Centre (Birmingham), the SCOOP Outdoor Theatre, Rose Bruford College (London), the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (London), University of West London, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (Cardiff), the National Youth Theatre, the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture (Saudi Arabia), the National Theatre of Scotland and the Kiln Theatre (London) and Fran Wen, among other companies and venues.
For The PappyShow Kane has directed BOYS; Boy, Fly, Girls (2018), Care, Shine Black, Our House and What Do You See? and continues to lead and curate The PappyShow’s works and training in collaboration with the full core team.
Kate Waters is one of only two women on the Equity Register of Fight Directors. Her theatre credits include Disgraced at the Bush. Other recent work includes: Othello, As You Like It, Our Country’s Good, Rules For Living, Dara, Hotel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and War Horse (National Theatre); Hand To God (West End),The Last Goodbye (The Old Globe, San Diego, California), Dr Faustus, The Maids, Macbeth, Richard III, East Is East, The Ruling Class, The Hothouse, The Pride (Jamie Lloyd Company); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Merchant of Venice, Anthony & Cleopatra, Dr Faustus (The Globe); Liberian Girl (Royal Court); Black Comedy (Chichester Festival Theatre); Urinetown The Musical (St James Theatre &West End); Don Giovanni (ROH) and Bugsy Malone, Herons (Lyric Hammersmith). Kate is a regular fight director for Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks.
Lynette Linton has been Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre since 2019. Her first season was a series of ground-breaking debuts from UK and Irish writers. She was previously Resident Assistant Director at the Donmar Warehouse and Associate Director at the Gate Theatre.
Lynette directed the UK premiere of Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-w inning play Sweat (Donmar Warehouse, Gielgud Theatre) for which she won ‘Best Director’ at the inaugural Black British Theatre awards. Sweat also won the Evening Standard award for ‘Best Play’ and was nominated for an Oliver award for ‘Best New Play’.
Her production of Richard II (Shakespeare’s Globe) which she directed with Adjoa Andoh, marked the first ever company of women of colour in a
Shakespeare play on a major UK stage. Lynette recently made her National
Theatre debut directing a new production of American writer Pearl Cleage’s Blues for an Alabama Sky.
Additional directing credits include: Lenny Henry’s August in England, Beru Tessema’s House of Ife and Jackie Kay’s Chiaroscuro (all Bush Theatre); Assata Taught Me (Gate); Function (National Youth Theatre); This Is (ArtsEd); Naked (VAULT Festival); This Wide Night (Albany). She was also co-director on Chicken Palace (Stratford East). TV credits include: My Name is Leon (BBC), for which she was nominated for a BAFTA.
Theatre writing credits include: Hashtag Lightie (Arcola); Chicken Palace and Step (Stratford East). TV writing credits include: Look at Me (ITV).
She is co-founder of theatre and film production company Black Apron
Entertainment who produced Passages: A Windrush Celebration with the Royal Court, a project she also curated.
Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Malena Arcucci is a theatre designer and costume supervisor based in London. She is co-artistic director of Mariana Malena Theatre Company.
Design credits include: Strangers Like Me (NT Connect and Hackney Shed); The Bit Players (Southwark); Friday Night Love Poem (Zoo Venues Edinburgh); Point of No Return (Actor’s Centre); La Llorona (Dance City Newcastle); The Two of Us (Theatre Deli); Playing Latinx (Camden’s People’s Theatre) and various productions in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Associate Designer credits include: Dear Elizabeth (Gate); Chiaroscuro (Bush); Thebes Land and Tamburlaine (Arcola).
Costume Supervisor credits include: Sucker Punch (Queen’s Theatre); Bootycandy (Gate); Super High Resolution (Soho); The Boys are Kissing (Theatre503); Blues for an Alabama Sky (as Assistant, National); The Cherry Orchard (Yard / HOME); Chasing Hares (Young Vic); House of Ife (Bush); Lotus Beauty (Hampstead); Moreno and Milk and Gall (Theatre503); Raya (Hampstead).
Monaé Robinson is the recipient of the Resident Director Bursary programme at the Bush Theatre, working closely with the Artistic team to bring to life their creative visions. She started her career as a community and cultural arts leader.
Monaé holds a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre & Performance from Goldsmiths University, and is a performance maker that typically focuses on Afrofuturism. In October 2021, Monaé directed OJA as part of Theatre Peckham’s Young, Gifted and Black festival.
Wabriya King is the Associate Dramatherapist at the Bush Theatre. Wabriya’s practice is to create a space and a format to hold people safely while they navigate their experiences in relation to the theatre’s work. Wabriya has previously worked on productions at Soho Theatre, Theatre Roayl Stratford East, Hampstead Theatre, Royal Court, National Theatre and Paines Plough.
Credits for the Bush include: Shifter’s, Paradise Now!; The P Word; House of Ife; Red Pitch; Overflow; Lava; The High Table.
