BOSSY, UK TOUR
Written by Cherie Gordon
Directed by Cherie Gordon and Flo O'Mahony
Beth is confident, clever and wants to become the world’s best leader. But people keep calling her bossy.
When Beth decides to run for Head Girl, she must embark on a quest to find out who she really is, what she stands for.
On a hunt to find a role model she can call her own, she finds herself bopping with pop stars and mingling with mermaids. But Beth soon realises that what’s really important might be found in her roots a little closer to home.
Multi-award winning Zoo Co presents this brand new show celebrating Black culture. Featuring a kick-ass Caribbean soundtrack, and performed in BSL and Sign Supported English, you’ll leave this show feeling pumped up and powerful!
CAST
Omolabake Jolaoso
Omolabake Jolaoso is a deaf actor from London. A recent graduate, she studied BA Acting at Rose Bruford College and is also a Brit School Alumni.
Over the years, Omolabake both theatre and screen based has worked with Deaf and Hearing Ensemble, Deafinitely Theatre, Signhealth, Theatre Royal Stratford East, BSL Zone and Zoo Co.
She hopes to spread more awareness about deafness through her work and give the younger black deaf generation hope that they can do what they set their minds to.
Fleur Rooth
Fleur is a founding member and associate artist of Zoo Co, touring for the last decade in their collaboratively devised shows around the UK and abroad, including many successful Edinburgh Fringe Festivals (Pleasance).
Previous theatre shows include: Offie Award Winning Perfect Show For Rachel (Barbican), Three Week's Editor's Choice Award Winner Sirens, Inside Pussy Riot, Messy, GIANT, The Girl Who Fell In Love With The Moon, and The Hive.
Fleur is keenly continuing through her BSL levels.. Forthcoming BSL integrated shows include Night Shift, as part of Croydon’s Borough Of Culture large events programme.
Honey Gabriel
Honey is a British-Nigerian actor & voiceover artist from South London.
A lover of all things Shakespeare and Sci-Fi, her credits include: A Sherlock Carol, The Show Must Go Online, Theatre Témoin's NHS Yarns, and Will & Co.’s Bard in the Yard.
CC Anderson
CC Anderson is a proud woman of African-Jamaican-British heritage representing NW London. CC's passion for the arts and media production stem from childhood, and she went on to achieve a BA Hons degree in Media Performance from the University Of Glamorgan. In 2018, CC decided to transform her passionate hobbies of acting and singing into a career - the best decision she has ever made.
CC dedicates her role as Vivian to her beloved Nana (Grandma) who has been her lifelong role model.
CREATIVE TEAM
Cherie Gordon
Cherie Gordon is an actor, director, writer and facilitator based in South East London. She graduated from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Drama, Applied Theatre and Education.
Cherie will be making her TV debut in a new BBC series being released later this year.
Further credits as an actor include: Precious Emily (Stans Cafe), Everyday (Deafinitely Theatre), Echoes (Brighton Screen and Film School), Afterthought (Derby Theatre), I Still Blame Myself (Deafinitely Theatre) Summer’s Park Adventure (Music Box Theatre), Messy (Zoo Co Theatre), Listen (BFI Film Academy), Others (Graeae Theatre), and Reverberation (BSL Zone).
Credits as a director include Getting There (Toucan, Oxford Playhouse and Deafinitely Theatre) and Untitled (film).
Flo O’Mahony
Flo is a theatre director, and Artistic and Executive director for Zoo Co.
Recent work includes Follow the Signs (Associate Director, Soho Theatre), Messy (UK tour), Sirens (Greenwich Theatre + UK tour, winner of Three Week's Editor's Choice Award) and Manimals (Sold out UK run, Canadian digital tour). Forthcoming work includes Night Shift, working alongside Brian Duffy to create a production in BSL and spoken English, Perfect Show for Rachel (Barbican) and Bossy (UK Tour).
Stella Backman
Stella Backman is a London based set and costume designer. Recent work includes Perfect Show for Rachel (The Barbican), Different Owners at Sunrise (Roundhouse), Elephant in the Room (Roundhouse, Camden People’s Theatre) Maybe, Probably (Old Red Lion), King Rodolfo (Pleasance Queen Dome), Summer’s Park Adventure (Deptford Park) and Messy (Touring).
Stella is also a scenic painter with credits including Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Back to the Future: The Musical, Gangs of London, Balenciaga, Dior, Alexander McQueen, The Bolds and USA Pro.
Basheba Baptiste
Bashiie is a Multi-creative artist, specialising in artists development. They have worked with theatres, venues and creative spaces and government run organisations across London and the wider UK including:
The Bush Theatre, Kiln Theatre, The Lyric Hammersmith, The Tom Thumb Theatre and the Young Vic.
After finishing her Traineeship at Talawa Theatre Company, as part of the Stage One Placement she is now currently the community assistant producer there. They were also the Associate Producer on the new west end play Best of Enemies, at the Noel Coward (formally at the Young Vic) as well as being a member of the Bush Young Company.
Her work focuses on working with Care Experienced young people and finding financially sustainable ways of working with artists from marginalized backgrounds.
Bashiie is the Artistic Director of Care to Culture - a company focused on championing lived experienced young people so they can have better access into the arts as a creative rather than just participants.
Chloe Stally-Gibson
Chloe is a production manager and theatre maker.
Her work is driven by an interest in exploring how the technical aspects of any piece can enhance the storytelling and allow design and visuals to develop a voice of their own.
Chloe’s recent work includes: ‘The Secretaries’ (Young Vic), ‘Caligari’ (ChewBoy Productions, winner of the 2022 Untapped Award), ‘Artists Make Space’ (Tara Theatre), and ‘Human Nurture’ (Theatre Centre).
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Rachel Sampley
Rachel is a London based lighting and video designer. She makes creative captions for many projects and frequently collaborates with the DH Ensemble and Zoo Co.
Her previous work includes: Follow the Signs (Soho Theatre), Barriers (The National Theatre), Opal Fruits (Bristol Old Vic, Pleasance Edinburgh), Perfect Show for Rachel (The Barbican).
Upcoming and current work includes The Great Gatsby (Theatre Clwyd) and The Suspicions of Mr Whicher (The Watermill).
She has a BFA in Theatre Design & Technology from The University of the Arts (Philadelphia, PA) and an MA in Advanced Theatre Practice from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
Chris Fonseca
Chris is a dance artist, mover, choreographer, teacher, creative director, and ambassador specialising in Hip Hop and Street Dance styles.
Born and raised in the heart of Southeast London, Chris works extensively across the UK and overseas and often receives international invitations, funding and commissions. Chris's early inspiration stems from his teens and a classic 1984 ‘breakin’ dance movie.
Chris is a founding member of Def Motion (2011-13), an all-deaf dance group affiliated with Deaffest - the UK's annual Deaf Film Festival. During this time, he graduated from the University of Wolverhampton with a degree in Graphic Design. Through those years, Chris also appeared at the Paralympics opening ceremony (London 2012, UK). The following ten years offered Chris a diverse spectrum of experiences and illuminated his talents to become a versatile dance artist and creator.
More recent credits:
Surface Area Dance Theatre, NUA Dance Company, Smirnoff, Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, CNN, CBeebies, JBL, Samsung, Facebook, BBC: The Greatest Dancers, BBC THREE: Amazing Human, Airbnb The Adapted Experience, MTV, Channel 4, RAD, and more.
Jack Norris
Jack Norris is an Actor and Movement Director based in London. He graduated Drama St Mary’s on the BA Hons Physical Theatre course in 2019. Since graduating Jack has worked with some of the UK’s leading physical theatre companies including David Glass Ensemble and Told by an Idiot.
Notable projects include:
Waiting for Godot by David Glass Ensemble (2022), Requiem by Michelle Brøndum – (Best postgraduate film 2022 NTA’S), Tess by Barrell Organ and English Touring Theatre (2021), Brother Don’t Preach by Natasha Sutton Williams (2018), Home by The Pappy Show (2018).
Jack is now training as a movement director on BOSSY under Chris Forensca with Zoo Co Theatre. His passion for movement stemmed from being diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) from birth - CF is a degenerative condition which affects the lungs, muscles, and other functions within the body. It is Jacks belief that movement can act as a tool for liberation and exploration for everyone. Jack is committed to continue learning and developing as an artist!
Ezra Barnard
Ezra Barnard is a multi-talented designer and maker of costumes and props with a BA in Fine Art from Chelsea School of Art and Design.
They started out designing garments and fashion accessories for friends and members of the ballroom community, such as Jay Jay Revlon, and have since expanded their repertoire into theatre and the performing arts.
Ezra’s most recent theatre credits include: Costume Maker (Tokyo Rose, Burnt Lemon Theatre, 2021), Wardrobe Assistant & Dresser (A Sherlock Carol, DEM Productions, 2022-23), Costume supervisor (Tempest, Wildcard Theatre Company, 2022; and WORTH, New Earth Theatre, 2023), Costume Designer (Prayers of a Hungry Ghost, Elisabeth Gunawan and Saksi Bisou, 2023).
Eljai Morais
Eljai Morais is a mother, grandmother, writer/performer/producer and the host and Creator of Black Lives Natter a podcast for Black and Global Majority voices to be heard.
Born in Berlin to a Jamaican Father, and English Mother Eljai is now proud to call herself a Londoner, but grew up in a very rural environment.
She is also a cabaret producer, performer, and Drag King. Community, activism, and equality are at the heart of all the work Eljai produces.
Sarah Verghese
Sarah Verghese is a South Asian, Olivier-nominated independent theatre producer working on London’s West End, regionally and internationally. She is excited by work that is culturally and politically relevant, engages new audiences and is widely accessible.
Most recently she produced Queens of Sheba by Jessica Hagan at Under the Radar Festival, New York. She is currently the Producer at Nouveau Riche and Community Producer at Zoo Co.
Nouveau Riche is a multi-award-winning theatre company set out to create and nurture new thought-provoking, challenging, and culturally inclusive writing.
Zoo Co is a theatre company and charity creating powerful, playful productions for audiences across the UK and worldwide. Zoo Co champions embedded access because theatre is better when everybody is invited!
Sarah applies these principles to her independent productions such as How to Build a Wax Figure at Pleasance 2022, Fester at Camden Fringe Festival 2021, and Every Sinner has a Futuren Kensington and Chelsea Festival & Golden Goose 2021.
Louise Wilcox
Louise is a multidisciplinary theatre maker, performer, facilitator, and puppeteer.
She’s done all kinds of things including The Taming of the Shrew (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare’s Globe), touring the world with Theatre Re and Ephemeral Ensemble, teaching in drama schools and also making lots...and lots...of coffee.
Creating deaf accessible work with Hot Coals led her to start learning BSL (her Level Two exams are soon, wish her luck!) and began her journey into access work.
This is Louise’s first time in this role and she’s excited to see what the future holds!
Hannah Skaili
Hannah is a creative access practitioner, facilitator and theatre maker based in South London. She has a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Theatre from the University of Leeds and is currently finishing her MA in Theatre for Community and Education at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, during which she has worked with companies such as Clean Break, Candoco Dance Company and Kazzum Arts.
Notable work experience includes: Assistant Choreographer (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Beck Youth Theatre), Access Facilitator (BBC), Workshop Facilitator (Shakespeare for Schools) and Creative Associate Intern (Slung Low).
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Fleur Rooth
Fleur is a founding member and associate artist of Zoo Co, touring for the last decade in their collaboratively devised shows around the UK and abroad, including many successful (despite once being named ‘Fleur Tooth’ on the cover of the Scotsman) Edinburgh Fringe Festivals (Pleasance).
Fleur is a passionate advocate for accessibility and when not performing is an Access Manager. Shows include Joy Festival (Lyric Hammersmith), Different Owners at Sunrise (Roundhouse), and currently Perfect Show For Rachel (Barbican).
Fleur is keenly continuing through her BSL levels. Previous BSL integrated shows include Messy (UK tour) and Sirens (Three Week's Editor's Choice Award winner, UK tour), where she was proud to represent her queerness on stage. Forthcoming BSL integrated shows include Night Shift, as part of Croydon’s Borough Of Culture large events programme.
Nick Gilbert
Nick is a stage manager, sound designer, composer and performer.
He is one of the co-founders of Zoo Co and works on many of their shows in one capacity or another, most recently as stage manager, sound designer and performer on their award-winning Perfect Show For Rachel at the Barbican Centre in London.
This year he has been shadowing on the Almeida Theatre’s West End transfer of A Streetcar Named Desire.
Nick regularly works on projects with an emphasis on access and is interested in exploring art and theatre as a means for connection and empowerment.
Féz O
Féz is a Nigerian born, London-based multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer and songwriter.
Having toured with the likes of Elton John, Jorja Smith and Jake Isaac; his work off stage led him to win The Drake YolanDa Songwriting Award in 2019. His work has been featured on Netflix, Amazon Prime, BBC, Late Show with Seth Meyers; and ads for Johnnie Walker, American Express, Virgin Atlantic and more. He's currently composing for theatre, working on a solo project and crafting music for visuals.
Moona Mohammed
Moona is a Somali British Deaf Black creative, BSL Consultant for Zooco’s Bossy and has passion for the arts & photography. She shares body positive ethos wherever she goes.
Moona has specialist knowledge and expertise in domestic abuse in children and young people. She delivers presentations around intersectionality, deaf awareness, racism and the cultural nuances of the Black deaf community.
Moona is one of the few Black translators in the UK. She offers BSL consultation behind the scenes, on/off set and in educational settings. This includes providing cultural context with written scripts and simple but memorable deaf awareness tips.
Moona is hoping to grow and work more within the mainstream theatre and film industry.
Emma Dennis-Edwards
For stage, Emma has been a participant at Royal Court, Soho Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith, and Oval House writers’ programmes. Plays include Funeral Flowers which was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2018 and won the Scotsman’s Fringe First Award and the Filipa Bragança award for best female solo performance. It went on to tour venues across London. Her play Bricks was developed on the Old Vic 12 scheme and was shortlisted for the Alfred Fagan Award.
For TV, Emma’s first original Single Drama Consent is currently on Channel 4 On Demand; it premiered to excellent reviews. Emma also wrote the script for a BBC Docudrama Our Lost Caribbean Voice: Una Marson about the late trailblazing poet, playwright and campaigner who was the first black producer and broadcaster at the BBC. She also writing an episode of Champion (Candice Carty-Williams' new show for BBC) and is the Story Consultant for Ragdoll UKTV/AMC show. She was part of the BBC Writers Academy with John Yorke and has written episodes of Casualty, EastEnders, and Holby City.
Michelle Hudson
Michelle is a performer and multimedia artist, as well as the General Manager at Zoo Co.
Recent credits include Blueprints, a series of short films on the theme of childhood & motherhood, and the critically acclaimed Manimals, a digital solo show about online dating and the struggle to connect.
Other performer credits include Church of the Sturdy Virgin (Dank Parish), Obsession: Dark Desires (Discovery ID), and The Whisper Network (Blue Leaf Theatre at the Old Red Lion).
Her creative work spans the intersection of interactive theatre, technology, game, and performance art, and she has collaborated with StoryTrails, Fire Hazard Games, and the Young Vic theatre.
Estrella Mabika
Estrella Mabika is a creative artist from Hackney, East London.
She has a bachelor's degree in Creative writing and Drama and a Masters in Creative writing both from Kingston University.
She has trained with Almeida Youth Theatre, National Youth Theatre and the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts. She has worked in theatre professionally as a production assistant and support worker since graduating from her Masters.
Her upcoming projects include writing Hackney Empire’s ADP 2023 show and creative directing independent artist A_Y’s next music video.
Maria Laumark
Maria is a Theatre-maker, Facilitator & Access Support Worker with great experience in devising, new writing and international collaborations.
She is the Artistic Director of the award-winning Katla Theatre Company which recently produced Mary & Mietek (The Space).
She was the Creative Associate for Cut the Cord theatre (works incl. New Nordics Festival 2021, New Nordic Voices 2021 and Plays by Post).
She is the Creative Learning Coordinator for Foreign Affairs Theatre Company and regularly facilitates for The Old Vic, Omnibus and organisations in Denmark, Ecuador, Croatia and Poland.
BSL INTERPRETERS
Natasha Trantom
Sandy Deo
Anna Kitson
Ali Gordon
Hahna Ahmed (TSLI)
Sumayya Si-Tayeb
Paula Cox
Jacqui Beckford
Louise Mitcham
Samuel Adedeji
Rebekah Spencer
Ben Bridger