Digital programme: The PappyShow's 10th Birthday Pit Party

The PappyShow was formed in 2013 by Kane Husbands to bring people together to move, dance, create moments of radical joy, share stories and take time to PLAY! A collective of creative friends who came together to tell our stories. That is still our mission but our identity has become clearer. 

The PappyShow accepts you as you are. We work with people who are seen as marginalised in our society: their voices have been silenced, softened or squashed in the UK. We rarely read, see or hear stories from the people we represent – so we choose to tell them ourselves. We bring together these voices, bodies and stories and weave them together through movement, music and storytelling.

We lead from joy
We never stand still
We place our faith in community
We take people as they are
We make play a priority
We celebrate difference and individuals
We disrupt what came before to question how to move forwards
We are a collective, an ensemble and a community

Diverse and collaborative, our productions explore identities that are rooted in the lived experiences of our performers and span the stage to the screen. Our productions BOYS and GIRLS were critically acclaimed for their vibrant, revelatory and expectation-defying explorations of contemporary masculinity and femininity.

Our 2022 production, What Do You See? was performed at Shoreditch Town Hall as part of London’s International Mime Festival and returned this year to The Old Courts in Wigan. At the start of 2023, in partnership with the National Theatre we toured our new show, Shut Up, I’m Dreaming, our love letter to a new generation. The tour was directed by Kane Husbands and was based on the views, ideas and experiences of teenagers across England. Throughout 2022, artists from The PappyShow spent time with 100 students across three schools in Sunderland, Wakefield and Walsall to have conversations about dreams and ambition in an uncertain world.

Outside of our productions we work with young people and emerging talent across the UK to create unique and exciting work that develops their artistry and centre their stories. We believe in safe spaces where all people can thrive as themselves.

thepappyshow.co.uk

GUEST ARTISTS
The PappyShow is made up of our collaborators, and we have invited them to share our space with moments from past shows and their current work. Each night a new group of guest artists will join us, making every performance unique, and celebrates the brilliant and talented friends we've made over our ten years.

THE YOUNG COMPANY
The Young Company have come together for this special birthday project. The PappyShow started ten years ago at the National Youth Theatre so for our birthday we put together an amazing company of young artists from NYT, Hackney Empire and the Collective Acting Studio to spend time in an R&D training opportunity and perform in the shows. We are so excited to share the next generation of truly exceptional emerging talent with you.

The PappyShow Team
The PappyShow is a collective of eight friends: some are performing tonight and some have worked behind the scenes. We thank you so much for joining us on our birthday!

Kane Husbands
Artistic Director
Kane Husbands is an artist, leader and facilitator, who creates spaces where people can turn up and be themselves, where their differences can be celebrated. He works through the artforms of movement, devising and physical theatre with an approach to making through play, joy and research. He founded The PappyShow in 2013 out of his commitment to create spaces where all bodies celebrated their unique identities to create a wider understanding of who we are. Throughout his career, Kane Husbands has also worked with theatres such as the National Theatre, Nottingham Playhouse, Sheffield Crucible Theatre, the Old Vic, and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, among others. His versatility as a director, performer, and maker has also brought him to international venues like the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture in Saudi Arabia and the National Theatre of Scotland. Passionate about education and training, Kane Husbands is the Course Leader of the BA Performance: Design and Practice at Central Saint Martin’s at the University of the Arts London and a Fellow of Rose Bruford College. With his unwavering commitment to mentoring and platforming diverse voices so that everyone can see themselves in workshops, in education and on and off stage, Kane Husbands creates transformational experiences that leave his participants and audiences feeling inspired to be who they are in this world. Through this work, he continues to shape the landscape of contemporary production and performance.

Sam Hardie
Creative Team
Sam Hardie is a theatre-maker and director from Scotland. She trained as an actor on the Acting: Collaborative and Devised Theatre Course at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. She is an Associate Artist at National Youth Theatre and has devised, directed and facilitated work with theatre companies like the National Theatre Studio, ENO, Jackson’s Lane and various education institutions across the UK. She  was recently awarded the Nicole Kidman bursary from MGC Futures charity. She has worked with The PappyShow for over five years, co-running the company, performing in GIRLS and running workshops and programmes for the company around the UK.

Rachel-Leah Hosker
Host
Rachel-Leah Hosker is an actor, movement director and a founding member of The PappyShow, who trained at Central School of Speech and Drama and is an associate of National Youth Theatre. She has worked with the BBC, New Diorama Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre, the Orange Tree, Rose Bruford, LAMDA, Wimbledon Arts School, VAULT Festival, National Theatre Studio, Bush Theatre and the Unicorn Theatre, among other companies and venues. Rachel Leah-Hosker is a core member of the PappyShow team, and performs in GIRLS, hosts our podcast It's A Practice!, was a Movement Director on CARE and facilitates workshops for The PappyShow.

Giuliano Levato
Producer
Giuliano Levato is a theatre and dance producer who studied at the University of Rome and the University of Beijing (Chinese Studies) and City University London (Masters in international journalism). He has worked for various media and theatre companies in the UK and internationally, including BBC Radio 2 and the BBC World Service. He has been a TV producer for Chinese National TV and as an international tour assistant for The Beijing National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA). Giuliano Levato has worked as a producer for The PappyShow for almost two years. He runs the popular Instagram channel People of Theatre, featuring some of the most exciting performing arts shows through insightful content. @peopleoftheatre

Kwami Odoom
Host
Kwami Odoom is an actor and theatre-maker from North London. He trained as an actor with the National Youth Theatre REP Company and has worked internationally as both an actor and movement director. He is an associate artist of the National Youth Theatre and Company Three. Kwami Odoom is a founding member of The PappyShow and has performed in BOYS and CARE. He runs workshops for the company around the UK.

Bea Holland
Performer
Bea Holland is a theatre-maker, performer and writer. She studied English and Drama at the University of Hull and is an associate of National Youth Theatre. She has worked at theatres across the country including the Barbican, Unicorn Theatre, Orange Tree, National Theatre, Lowry, Battersea Arts Centre and Almeida. Her work spans stand-up comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe and Greek tragedy on the South Bank to puppeteering a mouse circus at Glastonbury and writing comedy for E4. Bea Holland is a core member of The PappyShow team. She has performed in GIRLS, was an associate director on BOYS and facilitates workshops for The PappyShow.

Rachel Horowitz
Executive Director
Rachel Horowitz is a Creative Producer and Facilitator. They joined The PappyShow this year as Executive Director, and develop projects with and for young people, emerging talent and community groups with a particular focus on access to creativity and pathways into the creative industries. They are the Youth Engagement Lead for Studio 36 at EartH Hackney, Producer and Lead Mentor for Run the Track creative development programme and NYT Associate. Previously they were the Head of Learning and Participation at Hackney Empire, where they co-produced Young Producers’ Takeover of National Theatre's River Stage in 2022 and 2023, and for the Hackney Empire Main Stage: the Artist Development Programme: UNmuted in 2023; A Direct Message in 2022; Nightshade in 2021 and Alter Ego in 2022.

Seda Yildiz
Core Team
Seda Yildiz weaves together her enthusiasm for creating inclusive and playful spaces that encourage connection to both the self and each other. She works as a theatre-maker, creative facilitator, actor, casting associate and lecturer, as well as a yoga, meditation and breathwork teacher, designing and delivering BA and MA modules for universities, delivering workshops and courses for organisations, teaching from a colourful yoga mat or performing on stage with The PappyShow. Seda Yildiz has worked with Goldsmiths University, University of East London, St Mary’s University, University West London, Hull University, Haringey Shed, Theatre Train, Monobox, Campaign Bootcamp, WeWork, YachtWeek, Almeida, National Youth Theatre, Kneehigh, Open Clasp, Goethe Institute Germany, National Theatre Studio, the Royal Court, Soho Theatre, the Barbican, Live Theatre, Oval House, the Bush, Lyric, the Lowry, the BBC, Channel 4, Film 4, Icon Films, Pulse Films, Sony Music and the Beijing Olympics Closing Ceremony. She is a core member of The PappyShow team and has performed in GIRLS and CARE; she also frequently facilitates workshops for the company.