Scarlet

Scarlet likes sex. That's never been a problem for her. Then one morning she wakes up to find she's gone viral. A video of her being sexually abused by a gang of boys has appeared online and it's picking up popularity. Everything starts to fall apart.

All Scarlet wants to do is put her head down and push through, convinced that it will all blow over if she doesn't make a fuss. But the cracks are appearing faster than she can paper over them. Hurtling towards breaking point, Scarlet is left with a choice she may not be able to come back from…

For this production, Theatre Renegade will be working with The White Ribbon Campaign, the largest effort in the world of men working to end men's violence against women, with the inspiration of Scarlet to engage audiences around anti-violence and the themes of the play including topics such as slut shaming and cyber bullying. The production will also feature original music by Benji Huntrods and Ed Burgon.

Scarlet was commissioned by Theatre Renegade after its initial workshop appearance at the first Courting Drama series at the Bush Theatre in March 2013.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Theatre Renegade is a UK based theatre company that places story, engagement and empathy at the heart of the theatrical experience. With a strong focus on new writing and social issues, they also mould and reimagine classic pieces to produce distinctive and unique adaptations. They are a platform for new work, aiming to forge and build new creative partnerships between writers and directors whilst nurturing them from the very earliest drafts through to realised performance and print. All of their work is based upon the fundamental elements of collaboration and innovation.

Lucy Kilpatrick trained at East 15 School of Acting. Theatre includes Let Newton Be! (Menagerie Theatre), The Railway Children (Theatre by the Lake) and The Merchant of Venice (Malachite Theatre). Television credits include Call the Midwife.

Jade Ogugua trained at Drama Centre London. Television credits include The Guilty and Casualty. Scarlet marks her professional debut.

Heida Reed trained at Drama Centre London. Film credits include One Day and Vampyre Nation. Television credits include Elizabeth in the current BBC series Poldark, Silent Witness, Jo and DCI Banks.

Asha Reid trained at East 15 Acting School. Theatre includes Hacked (Theatre 503), The Tempest (Watford Palace Theatre), Lord of the Flies (Broadway Theatre, Catford), The Magpies The Wolves (Tristan Bates Theatre). Electra (Old Vic Theatre) and Cross Purpose (Crypt Gallery).

Director Joe Hufton trained at LAMDA. His most recent work includes Performance Director on Secret Cinema presents Back To The Future, the largest immersive show ever staged in the UK. In addition he also directed Dead Poets Society also for Secret Cinema. He is currently working as Associate Artist on Alice's Adventures Underground at The Vaults. Joe was Associate Artist for the international award winning Belt Up Theatre for whom he directed Outland and A Little Princess which both toured internationally. With Belt Up he also worked in association with Punchdrunk. He other recent work includes Babylon (National Tour) and The Bridge That Tom Built (for The Flanagan Collective).

Playwright Sam H. Freeman has been a part of the Lyric and Royal Court Young Writers programmes. He has contributed short plays to Courting Drama (Bush Theatre and Southwark Playhouse). Other short plays include Rules (Theatre503), Princess of Pop: An Extremely Fictional Account of the Britney/Christina Feud (The Vaults), and Career Night (Oval House Theatre). His play All Those Wrong Places was the recipient of the Lost One Act award. Scarlet is his first full length play.