PRESS RELEASE – 16/04/19

NEW IMAGES CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE

KILN THEATRE, FUEL AND REPERTORY THEATRE PRESENT THE HALF GOD OF RAINFALL By Inua Ellams

• PRODUCTION IMAGES RELEASED OF INUA ELLAMS’ THE HALF GOD OF RAINFALL AS IT OPENS AT THE BIRMINGHAM REPERTORY THEATRE BEFORE RUNNING AT KILN THEATRE

• RAKIE AYOLA AND KWAMI ODOOM PLAY THE CHARACTERS OF MODUPE AND DEMI DIRECTED BY NANCY MEDINA

• IMAGES CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE

Rakie Ayola in Inua Ellams’ The Half God of Rainfall © Dan Tsantilis

‘We risk war. This is the consequence. Battle. Shield. Spear and sword. Conflict amongst the Gods. This must be avoided.’ The first production images have today been released for Nancy Medina’s world premiere of Inua Ellams’ latest play The Half God of Rainfall. The production plays at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre April 13th – 20th and Kiln Theatre in April 25th – May 17th.

Rakie Ayola (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) plays Modupe, mother to her half-god son Demi, played by Kwami Odoom (Barber Shop Chronicles). This world premiere production is directed by Nancy Medina, designed by Max Johns, with movement direction by Imogen Knight, sound design by Tanuja Amarasuriya, lighting design by Jackie Shemesh and casting by Briony Barnett.

When Demi, the half Nigerian-mortal, half Greek-God, is angry, rain clouds gather. When he cries, rivers burst their banks. The first time Demi takes a shot on the local basketball court, the deities of the land awaken. As he unknowingly sparks Zeus’ wrath, his mother Modupe takes matters into her mortal hands and the consequences change their lives forever. From award-winning poet and playwright Inua Ellams (Barber Shop Chronicles; An Evening With An Immigrant) comes a new myth. The Half God of Rainfall is a contemporary epic that weaves poetry and storytelling in a majestic journey that transports us from a tiny village in South West to Mount Olympus, to the further reaches of our galaxy and beyond.

This production is a collaboration between Kiln Theatre, Fuel and Birmingham Repertory Theatre and is Ellams’ next play since Barber Shop Chronicles.

-ENDS-

For further information please contact The Corner Shop PR on 020 7831 7657 Philippa Redfern [email protected]

LISTINGS

The Half God of Rainfall By Inua Ellams Supported by London Community Foundation & Cockayne - Grants for the Arts. Birmingham Repertory Theatre 13 April – 20 April 2019 7.45pm (except 16 April at 7pm) Press night: 16 April Tickets: From £15 www.birmingham-rep.co.uk 0121 236 4455

Kiln Theatre 25 April - 17 May 2019 7.30pm / 2.30pm (Wednesday and Saturday) Press night: 30 April Tickets: From £10 www.kilntheatre.com 020 7328 1000

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Kiln Theatre

Based in Kilburn, Kiln Theatre creates internationally renowned, high-quality, engaging and innovative work which presents the world through a variety of different lenses, amplifying unheard voices into the mainstream. Led by Artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham and Executive Director Daisy Heath, it makes theatre that crosses continents and tells big stories about human connections across cultures, race and languages.

We encourage artists of all ages and backgrounds. Our work is commissioned specifically for our theatre and produced by Kiln Theatre’s artistic team, as well as additional work which is programmed in collaboration with national or international partners.

Recent productions include White Teeth by Zadie Smith, adapted by Stephen Sharkey, Holy Sh!t by Alexis Zegerman, Approaching Empty by Ishy Din and The Son by Florian Zeller. Recent collaborations include the National Theatre, Tamasha and Sundance Theatre Lab (US).

The ambitious Creative Learning programme aims to champion the imagination, aspiration and potential of the Brent community young and old. It invests in creating meaningful relationships with young people to inspire and encourage their creativity, their confidence and self-esteem. It works with older people to create a thriving community around the theatre. www.KilnTheatre.com Twitter: @KilnTheatre

About Fuel

Fuel produces an adventurous, playful and significant programme of work - live, digital, and across art forms – for a large and representative audience across the UK and beyond. They collaborate with outstanding artists with fresh perspectives and approaches who seek to explore our place in the world, expose our fears, understand our hopes for the future, create experiences which change us and in turn empower us to make change in the world around us. Led by Kate McGrath, Fuel is supported by Arts Council as a National Portfolio Organisation, the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, and Wellcome Trust through Sustaining Excellence. Kate McGrath, Director of Fuel, and Inua Ellams met in 2008, after Kate saw what became Inua’s first theatre show, The 14th Tale, at BAC. Fuel helped Inua develop his debut play and produced it, premiering it at the Festival, winning a Fringe First, touring it in the UK and internationally and presenting it at the National Theatre. Since that first meeting, Fuel has worked closely with Inua, producing Untitled, Knight Watch, Long Song Goodbye, Black T-shirt Collection, The Spalding Suite, An Evening with an Immigrant, Barber Shop Chronicles and now The Half-God of Rainfall. Other shows in Fuel’s 2019 Season include Touching the Void (David Greig/Tom Morris), The Kids Are Alright (Encounter Productions), The Day I Fell Into A Book (Lewis Gibson) and Fly The Flag (Ai Weiwei). www.fueltheatre.com Twitter: @fueltheatre

About Birmingham Repertory Theatre

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company is one of Britain’s leading producing theatre companies. Its mission is to inspire a lifelong love of theatre in the diverse communities of Birmingham and beyond. As well as presenting over 60 productions on its three stages every year, the theatre tours its productions nationally and internationally, showcasing theatre made in Birmingham.

The commissioning and production of new work lies at the core of The REP’s programme and over the last 15 years, the company has produced more than 130 new plays. The theatre’s outreach programme engages with over 7000 young people and adults through its learning and participation programme, equating to 30,000 individual educational sessions. The REP is also committed to nurturing new talent through its youth theatre groups and training for up and coming writers, directors and artists through its REP Foundry initiative. The REP’s Furnace programme unites established theatre practitioners with Birmingham’s communities to make high quality, unique theatre.

Many of The REP’s productions go on to have lives beyond Birmingham. Recent tours and transfers include Brief Encounter, Nativity! The Musical, What Shadows, LOVE, The Winslow Boy, The Government Inspector, Of Mice and Men, Anita and Me, Penguins and The King’s Speech. The theatre’s long-running production of The Snowman celebrates its 25th anniversary this year as well as its 21st consecutive season at London's Peacock Theatre. www.birmingham-rep.co.uk Twitter: @BirminghamRep