“17 minutes. That’s how long it takes to die by train. I looked it up once.”
Chilufya – you can call her Chili – doesn’t know whether she is coming or going. Which makes perfect sense since her name literally means ‘the lost one’ and lost is exactly how she’s felt most of her life. Her low self-esteem and high insecurities lead her into the arms of Paul, whose increasingly dangerous control over her life drives a decline in her already fragile mental health. Paul’s influence on Chili’s life soon becomes so far-reaching, she loses herself completely. Intertwining spoken word poetry with Zambian oral storytelling traditions, this work-in-progress show is a dark comedy about how to find a way back to yourself when you are feeling lost.
Writer/Producer: Mwansa Phiri
Mwansa is a London based poet, playwright, screenwriter and creative producer. She is an alumna of the Soho Theatre Writers’ Lab where she wrote her debut play "Talking Stages," which was shortlisted for the Tony Craze Award and the VAULT Five. She was awarded a Seeding Space artist residency from London Performance Studios to develop her second play "waiting for a train at the bus stop." As a playwright, Mwansa has had work staged at The Pleasance London, Golden Goose Theatre, Arcola Theatre, and Southwark Playhouse. In TV and film, she was a finalist in Amazon Prime Video and TCN’s 2020 WriterSlam for her TV pilot "Killing Time," and was shortlisted for a Hidden Beast Award in 2021 for her short film script "Mother-Daughter Dance."
Director: Yiga Gau Lou
Yiga is a director, actor and musician born and raised in Brixton. She started acting at the age of eight and went on to be a part of the Young Vic Young Company and the National Youth Theatre. Yiga studied drama and political theatre studies at the University of Essex which pushed her into writing and directing her first one woman show "am I aggressive enough." From there she went on to co-direct the short film "Run" for Nike, as well as self-directing multiple music videos. Yiga has training in facilitation and workshops through the National, and has co-run courses at the National Youth Theatre.
Performer: Chipo Kureya
Chipo graduated from the Urdang Academy with a BA hons Musical Theatre.
Theatre Credits include: Midsummer Night's Dream (Bridge Theatre) Katya Kabanova (Royal Opera House) The Skating Rink (Garsington Opera) The Jungle Book (UK Tour) Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace Theatre); Darker Shores (UK Tour); Thoroughly Modern Millie (The Landor); Rapunzel (York Theatre Royal + National Tour); The Tempest (Waterloo East Theatre) Fingertips (Clean Break); Liberian Girl -RND (Royal Court)
Film & Television Credits include: Top Boy, Everything I Know About Love.
Cast & Creative Team Writer and Producer: MWANSA PHIRI
Director: YIGA GAU LOU
Performer: CHIPO KUREYA