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Family Tree
Actors Touring Company and Belgrade Theatre Coventry, in association with Brixton House present

Family Tree

by Mojisola Adebayo Fri 10 to Sat 18 Mar 2023
Tagged:
  • Drama

This event takes place at Belgrade Theatre B2 Stage

Family Tree is a powerful drama about race, health, the environment, and the incredible legacy of one of the most influential Black women of modern times.

5 rating

“Beautifully poetic … Adebayo’s deft writing and the layered, nuanced performances allowed us to take solace in community and to look forward to a better future.”

- To Do List
5 rating

“Outspoken and magical … informs us with its history and move us with its personal stories.”

- British Theatre Guide

Fearlessly honest, hilarious, and ultimately transformative, this award-winning play is both a remembrance and a celebration.

Henrietta Lacks is one of most remarkable people in medical history. Her cells form the basis of the most important medical research and breakthroughs happening today, from cancer to HIV to COVID.

But Henrietta never knew any of this. Her cells were taken without her or her family’s knowledge or permission.

Henrietta was a Black woman: she is not the only one whose body has been exploited by the medical establishment.

Denied her place in history, now is the time for Henrietta’s incredible legacy to undergo a transformation … to blossom and grow into something new and wonderful.

This brand-new nationwide touring production is brought to you by playwright Mojisola Adebayo (Alfred Fagon Award winner for Family Tree) and director Matthew Xia (Blue/Orange, The Wiz) with a cast that includes Michelle Asante as Henrietta.

POST-SHOW Q&A
Weds 15 Mar – audiences are invited to stay behind after the show for a Q&A with cast and creatives exploring themes of ‘medicine, ethics, and Black bodies’.


 

CAST
Henrietta Lacks Aminita Francis 
Ain/Anarcha/Oshun Mofetoluwa Akande
Bibi/Bestey Keziah Joseph
Lyn/Lucy Aimée Powell
Smoking Man Alistair Hall  

CREATIVE TEAM
Playwright Mojisola Adebayo
Director Matthew Xia
Set & Costume Designer Simon Kenny
Lighting Designer Simisola Majekodunmi
Composer & Sound Designer Francesca Amewudah-Rivers
Movement Director Diane Alison-Mitchell
Associate Director Amelia Thornber
Costume Supervisor Maybelle Laye
Production Dramatherapist Wabriya King
Casting Advisor Matilda James CDG 

PRODUCTION TEAM
Production Manager Matt Ledbury
Company Stage Manager Cassie Adey
Deputy Stage Manager Eliott Sheppard
Lighting Associate Tom Lightbody

Commissioned by Actors Touring Company and Young Vic, with development supported by Greenwich & Docklands International Festival