Grow Up at Park Theatre July 2024

Photography by Harry Elletson, Design by George Haverson

We’re delighted to announce our next professional production, Grow Up, by Amber Ruby and the Company.

This is a play about the beautiful, messy and joyful journey through teenagehood, running at Park Theatre between Wed 17 - Sat 20 July 2024.

Grow Up is a play about memory, joy and dreams for the future. It’s about beaches and GCSEs. It’s about what it’s like to be told to grow up, but never being given the space to do that.

Grow Up is co-created with and performed by the company of teenagers from Islington, drawing on their life experiences.

We’re returning to the Park Theatre after the success of Brainstorm there in 2015. We’re excited to be working with Touretteshero to offer a full run of relaxed performances, which you can find out more about via the visual story on our website here.

Tickets start at £6.50.

Meet the team behind Grow Up

Grow Up is created and performed by Basiru Jammeh, Hattie McCaughey, Ilia Aristovich, Isaiah Asomani, Mylo Montefiori-Opoku, Renata Qorri, Shayma Zourdani, and Shiloh Basilua.

Photography by Jake Monib

Creative Team

About the creative team

(From left to right, top to bottom)

Amber Ruby (They/Them) - Director

Amber Ruby is a theatremaker and director born and raised in London. Previously an Associate Artist at Company Three, they have collaboratively devising Grow Up as part of a wider national project for the past year. They are also devising a new play with The Bridge Company at Brit School. Previous work as Associate Director: Red Pitch, (Soho Place), When This is Over, (The Yard), Groove (Shoreditch Town Hall). As Director: The Body Remembers (The Albany) Alongside Amber's work in directing, Amber is a teaching artist at Disney and an Associate artist at Outbox Theatre.

Pia Richards (They/Them) - Assistant Director

Pia Richards is a theatre maker, performer, disability and youth arts advocate. Pia gained a lot of her experience as a young person participating and performing with Company Three and eventually going on to work at Company Three and the Barbican Centre. Since she has worked in various support roles working with theatre writers and Director’s doing Access Support work with disabled artists helping to disassemble barriers that make working in the arts difficult. She has also been working as an Assistant Director on Juniper and Jules- Soho Theatre & FAUN- Cardboard Citizens production. Most recently she has been working as the Touring and Participation Director on Spare Tyres On The Beach.

Anyebe Godwin (He/Him) - Lead Facilitator (Previously Assistant Director)

Anyebe Godwin trained at Rose Bruford College.

Acting credits include: The Empress (RSC), Falkland Sound (RSC)Foxes (Theatre 503/Defibrillator Theatre) Amsterdam (Actor’s Touring Company, Theatre Royal Plymouth and Orange Tree Theatre), Little Baby Jesus (JMK Award/Orange Tree Theatre), Four Minutes Twelve Seconds (Trafalgar Studios/Hampstead Theatre), Serious Heroes (Old Vic New Voices).

Television includes Dreaming Whilst Black, Autopsy: The Last Hours of Notorious B.I.G (ITV Studios), Doctors (BBCS), The Evermoor Chronicles (Disney).

Alphonso Brown (He/Him) - Support Assistant (Cover)

Alphonso Brown is an actor, writer, facilitator and director from Croydon. Alphonso draws from his own experience and understanding of complex situations and people to build compelling characters with an exciting intensity, a quality that is unequivocal in his performances, directing and writing. He is the Acting teacher at a performing arts academy so his goals are two-fold: to advance his acting, writing and directing career while nurturing emerging talent. He strongly believes in the power of mentorship and the potential for artistic and personal growth it offers, his journey in this industry and personal life is a testament to that.

Rūta Irbīte (She/Her) - Set and Costume Designer

Rūta is a London-based performance designer. She trained on the BA Performance Design and Practice and the MA Material Futures courses at Central Saint Martins.

Rūta was a shortlisted finalist for the Linbury Prize for Stage Design 2013.

Her performance design work focuses on socially and environmentally engaged projects, devised work and new writing with sustainability are at the core of her practice.

Theatre design credits include: Pink Lemonade (Bush Theatre), And The Rest of Me Floats (Bush Theatre), Fitter (Soho Theatre), Open Court (Royal Court), We Could All Be Perfect (Sheffield Theatres), Say Yes To Tess (Leeds Playhouse).

Abi Turner (They/Them) - Lighting Designer

Abi works both in Lighting Design and Access Consultation. Abi has worked with companies and organisations including Flawbored (Offie Nominated for Access), the Donmar Warehouse (NT Live), Scottish Dance Theatre, the Watermill Theatre, and ASYLUM Arts.

Their credits include: Surfacing (Omnibus Theatre, Regional Tour and VAULT Festival); Sputnik (Dundee Rep); I Dream In Colour (Camden People’s Theatre); Operation Hummingbird (York Theatre Royal, Regional Tour); When This Is Over (Yard Theatre); A Monster Calls (Watermill Theatre); How Disabled Are You? (Park Theatre, Omnibus Theatre); Henry V (Donmar Warehouse – Associate Lighting Designer).

Duramaney Kamara (He/Him) - Sound Designer

Abi Zakarian (She/Her) - Dramaturg

Abi Zakarian is an award-winning British-Armenian writer. Her plays include: Lullaby, Shakespeare’s Globe; Fabric, Soho Theatre; Perfect Myth Allegory, Jermyn Street Theatre; I Am Karyan Ophidian, Sam Wanamaker Theatre at Shakespeares Globe. Her plays Mountain Warfare & Worthy Women were finalist & long-listed for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting in 2021/22 & 2023/24 respectively. She is co-founder of horror theatre company Terrifying Women & created the UK Armenian Creatives Network. Her play Age is Revolting is part of this years National Theatre Connections programme. She is also editing her first short film, Pomegranate, has a short digital piece commissioned by The Bush theatre & is currently under commission with Derby Theatre.

Corey Bovell (He/Him) - Production Manager

Corey Bovell is a Production Manager, Producer & Writer for theatre. He’s been working as the founder of Oisel Productions, creating shows performed at theatres in London since 2015, while also Production Managing other shows alongside his role.

His recent credits include, as Production Manager; Grow Up (Park Theatre), Assembly (Tall Stories), #Blackis (New Diorama).

As Producer and Writer; Chicken Burger N Chips (Brixton House Theatre & Brockley Jack), Red Card (Pleasance Theatre), Theory of Three (Vault Festival), 32 Peak Street (Tristan Bates Theatre), The Last of Her Days (Oval House).

Corey holds a BA in Media from Kingston University and a MA in Acting from Rose Bruford College.

Maja Lach (She/Her) - Stage Manager

Maja Lach is a freelance stage manager and migrant based in London. She’s passionate about creating accessible theatre with a focus on disability, community, and cultural issues, as well as promoting theatre among young people. She wants to amplify queer, migrant, and minority voices in theatre, starting with her own.

Her credits include: Brainiac Live Middle East tour, The Misandrist at the Arcola Theatre, Places I Never Think About for Camden Fringe, Mudlarking at the Bush Theatre, and Addictive Beat for Boundless Theatre. She is also currently working as a manager for Pride in London 2024.