Tis’ Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home
Amazing Grace
In the heat of the Caribbean sun and to the familiar sound of gospel hymns, the Gillard family prepares for the funeral of their mother Grace. Tensions ignite as Josh, cast out for being gay, arrives in Barbados after 6 years of excommunication. Widowed Eli wants to sell the family home on Perseverance Drive, but Grace’s will reveals a different plan.
London, 4 years later. The table is set with Tiger Malt, lashings of Madeira cake and chocolate digestives (milk, not dark). Secrets are exposed at this last family gathering but Eli knows time is running out: Can the Gillard family reconcile their faith in God with their faith in one another?
I know we have a certain amount of dirty laundry in this family, but is it really necessary to keep on washing it so publicly?
Exploring the joys and frustrations of loving our loved ones, Perseverance Drive tells an epic family story that stretches from the sunny shores of Barbados to the grey skies of Leytonstone. Don’t miss this witty and uplifting new play by acclaimed writer and actor Robin Soans (Talking to Terrorists, Out of Joint / Royal Court, Life After Scandal, Hampstead Theatre), directed by Madani Younis, Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre.
A Bush Theatre Production
Theatre credits include: A Taste of Honey (Hull Truck Theatre), Home (National Theatre), Quartet for 15 Chairs (The Mac Belfast), Twelth Night (Octagon Theatre), Philadelphia, Here I Come (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), Wanted! Robin Hood (Lowry Theatre), Robin Hood (Octagon Theatre), The Conquest of Happiness (European Site Specific Tour), Man in the Moon (Waterfront Hall), Big House Festival (Castletown House), Piaf (Octagon Theatre), Cooking with Elvis (Derby Theatre), Digging for Fire (Rough Magic @ Project), The Sweety Bottle (Grand Opera House), The Glass Menagerie (Octagon Theatre), Tull (Octagon Theatre), Planet Belfast (The Mac), Of Mice and Men (Octagon Theatre), Arabian Nights (Lowry Theatre), Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Hull Truck Theatre), Peter Pan (Octagon Theatre), Paisley & Me (NI Tour), Bliss (NI Tour), Much Ado About Nothing (RSC, Stratford & West End), The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Octagon Theatre), The Baths (Templemore Bath House), Plants & Hopes (NI Tour), White Star of the North (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), Shoot The Crow (Grand Opera House’), Snookered (Bush Theatre)
Forthcoming shows: Orpheus (Salzburg Festival), Infidel (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Mary Poppins (Ronacher Theater, Vienna).
Previous work includes: Beauty and the Beast (Young Vic), Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein (Olivier, National Theatre) Olivier Award nomination 2012, Backbeat(Duke of York’s Theatre), The Mysteries and The Good Hope (Cottesloe, National Theatre), The Railway Children (Waterloo International Station and Roundhouse Theatre Toronto) Olivier Award nomination 2011, Fatal Attraction (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Backbeat (Duke Of Yorks), Phoenix and Babylon (BigHouse Theatre),1 hour 18 minutes (Sputnik Theatre), FEAR (Bush Theatre), His Teeth (Only Connect Theatre), The Wiz (Birmingham Rep and West Yorkshire Playhouse), Baby Doll (Albery Theatre), Alex (Arts Theatre, UK and international tour), Happy Now?(Hull Truck Theatre), Old Times, A Doll’s House (Donmar Warehouse), Bad Man Christmas (HMP Wormwood Scrubs), The Wizard Of Oz and Sandi ToksvigsChristmas Cracker (Royal Festival Hall), Singular Sensations (Haymarket Theatre), Twelfth Night, A Slice of Saturday Night (Queens Theatre Hornchurch), The Milk Train Doesnt Stop Here Anymore, Treasure Island, The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari,Kindertotenlieder, Then Again, Angela Carters Cinderella, Cause Celebre, Mrs Warrens Profession, A Midsummer Nights Dream (Lyric Theatre Hammersmith), Moti Roti Puttli Chunni, Running Dream and Mike Leighs Its A Great Big Shame(Theatre Royal Stratford East)
As Associate Sound Designer: The Pajama Game (Shaftesbury Theatre) All That Fall (59E59 Theatre New York), MatthewBourne’s Early Adventures (UK tour), Dorian Gray (Orchard Theatre, Tokyo), Mary Poppins (UK national tour, Circustheater Scheveningen and US tour), My Fair Lady (UK and US national tours), Acorn Antiques (UK national tour), The Witches (UK national tour), Return To The Forbidden Planet (UK national tour), Soul Train (UK tour).
Ed also tours regularly with Van der Graaf Generator, and has previously toured with Ryuichi Sakamoto, Blue Man Group, The John Tams Band, Evelyn Glennie, and Talvin Singh.
Theatre credits include: One Man, Two Guvnors (directed by Nicholas Hytner/Adam Penford), The Humans (directed by Alexandre Singh), King Lear (directed by Tim Crouch), Our Country’s Good (directed by Max Stafford-Clark), Henry IV, parts 1 & 2, Where There’s a Will, Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Portrait of a Lady, A Doll’s House, The Vortex, Uncle Vanya, Pygmalion, Little Nell, Amy’s View, Habeas Corpus, Measure for Measure, You Never Can Tell, Waiting for Godot, Much Ado About Nothing, The Dresser, As You Like It, Man & Superman (directed by Peter Hall), The Herd, 55 Days, Blood and Gifts (directed by Howard Davies), Canary (directed by Hettie Macdonald), Rutherford and Son (directed by Richard Beecham), Ring Round the Moon, Waiting for Godot, Breakfast at Tiffany’s (directed by Sean Mathias), In the Club, Honour, What the Butler Saw, Abigail’s Party (directed by David Grindley), Private Lives, Blithe Spirit, Don Juan, Tejas Verdes, Emperor Jones, The Chairs (directed by Thea Sharrock), The Deep Blue Sea (directed by Edward Hall), The Odyssey (directed by David Farr), Miss Julie, Everything is Illuminated (directed by Rachel O’Riordan), The Lieutenant of Inishmore (directed by Wilson Milam), Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Beasts and Beauties, Watership Down (directed by Melly Still), Ghosts (directed by Anna Mackmin).
Jaimie’s previous designs at the Bush Theatre include Disgraced and Perseverance Drive.
Theatre design credits include: The Lady Goes To War, Fever Pitch, Blue Remembered Hills, The Alchemist (National Theatre) and Children Of Eden. He also designed a bi-lingual version of Tale Of Two Cities, which toured England and France; The Trestle At Pope Lick Creek, Pretend You Have Big Buildings, Christmas Is Miles Away and Things OF Dry Hours for Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre and Aces And Jacks for Guildhall at the Bridewell. Jaimie has completed five touring Shakespeare productions including Macbeth, Romeo And Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest and Hamlet and seven productions for Y-Touring Theatre Company. Jaimie also designs for the Centrepoint Theatre in Dubai: Sweeney Todd, Cats, West Side Story, Hairspray. Other credits include Sticks And Stones, House Of Blue Leaves, Memory Of Water and Be My Baby. He continues to assist other designers on productions in the West End and abroad.
Madani took over as Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre in 2012. He directed the critically acclaimed UK premiere of The Royale in 2015 which was revived in 2016. In 2013 he won the Groucho Club Maverick Award for the theatre, following the most successful season in the theatre’s history which played to 99% capacity. Also for the Bush Theatre he has directed The Principles of Cartography as part of Black Lives, Black Words, Zaida and Aadam as part of This Place We Know, Perseverance Drive and Chalet Lines.
Madani is currently working as a member of the Mayor of London’s Cultural Board.
Prior to his appointment at the Bush Theatre, he was Artistic Director of Freedom Studios in Bradford, Yorkshire where his work included the site-specific work, The Mill – City of Dreams. He has also worked nationally and internationally as a theatre director, writer and practitioner. He was previously Director of Red Ladder Theatre Company’s Asian Theatre School where he directed included Silent Cry, Free World and Streets of Rope.
He originally trained in film, and his debut short film Ellabellapumpanella, commissioned by the UK Film Council, was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2007. He was the recipient of the Decibel Award at the South Bank Awards show in 2006.
Robin Soans’ plays include: One Turbulent Ambassador (Lyric Hammersmith/LAMDA), Mixed Up North (Bolton Octagon/Out of Joint/National Tour/Wilton’s Music Hall), Life After Scandal (Hampstead Theatre), Talking To Terrorists (Royal Court/Out of Joint – nominated for Best Play at the TMA Awards), The Arab- Israeli Cookbook (Gate Theatre/Tricycle Theatre/Met Theatre, Los Angeles), A State Affair (Out of Joint/Soho Theatre), Sinners and Saints (Croydon Warehouse), Bet Noir (Young Vic).
His books include: as co-author of Verbatim Verbatim (Oberon), Deep Heat (Oberon), and The Arab-Israeli Cookbook: The Recipes (Aurora Metro Publications – winner of the Best Innovative Food Book UK and the Special Jury Prize for Peace at the Gourmand World Book Awards).
For radio, his credits include: Not Today Thank You, The Arab Israeli Cookbook, Talking To Terrorists, Life After Scandal, and A State Affair.
Also an accomplished actor, Soans will soon be appearing in the national tour of Visitors opposite Linda Bassett.
Theatre credits include: Much Ado About Nothing (Old Vic), Chariots of Fire (West End & Hampstead Theatre), Luise Miller (Donmar Warehouse), King Lear (West Yorkshire Playhouse), The Dug Out (Bristol Old Vic).
Television includes: Holby City, Emmerdale, Tissued and Issues, Alys.
Film includes: Table Mannerz.
Theatre credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Noel Coward Theatre), 66 Books (Bush Theatre), Blackta (Young Vic), The Wheel (National Theatre of Scotland), While You Lie (Traverse Theatre), Medea (Abbey Theatre & Queens), Othello (Nottingham Playhouse), King Lear, Romeo & Juliet, Comedy of Errors (RSC), Julius Caesar, Taming of the Shrew, Othello, Titus Andronicus (Shakespeare At The Tobacco Factory Bristol), Hamlet (Young Vic, Tokyo Globe & Osaka), The Winter’s Tale (Complicité, International & UK tour), Julius Caesar (Barbican & European Tour), Othello (Watermill, Tokyo Globe & Osaka), Beauty & The Beast (The Lyric Theatre), Sanctuary, Antony and Cleopatra (RNT), Othello, Charlie Lavender (Southwark Playhouse), My Children! My Africa! (Salisbury Playhouse), The Struggle of the Dogs and the Black (Traverse Theatre), Madman of' the Balconies (Gate Theatre), Twelfth Night, More Grimm Tales, As I Lay Dying, Rosmersholm (Young Vic), Woyzeck (Bristol Old Vic), Search and Destroy (Royal Court). Two Horsemen (Bush Theatre, Time Out Award).
Film includes: The Changeling, The Kitchen Toto, Nighthawks.
Television includes: Gangsta Granny, Law and Order, Silent Witness, Rebus, Judge John Deed, Casualty, Canterbury Tales, South by South East, Love Hurts, Mad Men and Specialists, Escape from Kampala, Rough Crossings.
Theatre credits include: Ten Women (Jackdaw at the Oval House Theatre), Cake and Congo (Theatre 503), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bristol Old Vic), Mottled Lines (Orange Tree Theatre), Swallows and Amazons (Vaudeville Theatre & UK Tour, Bristol Old Vic), The Colored Museum (Talawa Theatre Company), The Beggar’s Opera (Open Air Theatre Regent’s Park), Much Ado About Nothing/ Shakespeare in a Suitcase (RSC New York), Hello Dolly (Open Air Theatre Regent’s Park), The Tempest (Open Air Theatre Regent’s Park), Vajak Paw (The Opera Group), Carmen Jones (The Southbank Centre, Ramond Gubbay Ltd), Safe (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Coriolanus (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Enchanted Pig (Young Vic Theatre/Opera Group), Under the Black Flag (Shakespeare’s Globe), Coram Boy (Royal National Theatre), Once in a Lifetime (Royal National Theatre), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Sheffield Crucible Theatre), Just So (Chichester Festival Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Chichester Festival Theatre), Skellig (Young Vic Theatre), Anything Goes (Royal National Theatre), Bintou (Arcola Theatre), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Royal National Theatre), The Singing Group (Chelsea Theatre), Closer to Heaven (Really Useful Group), Into the Woods (NYMT).
Film includes: Rabbit Fever, The Best Man, Calcium Kid, De Lovely.
Radio includes: One Two Zoo, Reality Check, The Ballad of Frankie Banks
Theatre credits include Death and the King’s Horseman (Royal National Theatre), The Lion and the Jewel (Collective Artiste), Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet (RSC), Bouncers (Salisbury Playhouse), Beautification of Area Boy (West Yorkshire Playhouse/ World Tour),Women on the Verge of HRT...Getaway! (No.1 Tour), Musical Youth (Birmingham Rep), Edmund (Main in the Moon) and Punch Junkies (Brixton Shaw).
Television includes Merlin, Messiah, Second Generation, The Bill, EastEnders, Casualty, Waking the Dead, Doctors, The IT Crowd, The Worst Week of My Life.
Film includes The dying of the Light, Fifth Element, Three Steps to Heaven, Streetwise.
Radio includes Darker Face of the Earth, Creamie, When Kings Talk.
Theatre credits include: Starlight Express (West End), Ain't Misbehavin (West End), Jesus Christ Superstar (West End), The Music of Andrew Lloyd-Webber (West End), Little Willie Jr's Resurrection (West End), Ms Saigon (West End), King (West End), Children of Eden (West End), 125th Street (West End), Dancing in the Street(West End), Gone With the Wind (West End), Five Guys Named Mo (West End),Lion King (West End), Mass Carib (West End), Blues for Mr Charlie (Tricycle Theatre), Sweeney Todd (Holland Park), Happy End (Nottingham Playhouse), Two Trains Running (Tricycle Theatre), Blues for Mr Charlie (The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, and the Tricycle Theatre London), Blues in the Night (West Yorkshire Playhouse).
Film includes: Young Soul Rebels and Velvet Goldmine.
