Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew

About

“A garden without a traditional English rose is a cardinal sin – and I committed eight of those before my Ready Brek. – D x”

Soil-soaked jeans and dirt under their fingernails, Pip is trying to find themself through gardening. But with a Dad more interested in plants than people and a Mum stuck in the past, they’re left to ponder life’s questions alone.

Until one day, they uncover a jacket in the attic that’s been gathering dust. Bold, vibrant and very 80s, in its pocket lies a diary belonging to someone long gone. Swept up in the mystery, Pip is determined to dig into the past, unearthing secrets about an old friend their Mum and Dad don’t want to talk about…

Funny, affecting and beautifully queer, Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew journeys through one family’s efforts to reconcile the past to plant the seeds of a better future. This world-premiere production is written by Bush Emerging Writers’ Group alumni Coral Wylie, directed by Debbie Hannan (Overflow), and with a cast including the writer alongside BAFTA and Olivier Award nominee Omari Douglas (It’s a Sin, Constellations).

Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew is part of our artist development programme, Staged by Jerwood, supported by the Jerwood Foundation, and is generously supported by Bush Theatre Producers Circle & Royal Victoria Hall Foundation.

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“Wylie is clearly a talent and this is a debut that sets fertile ground for growth.”

– Time Out

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Cast & Creatives

Coral Wylie

Writer & Cast Member

Coral Wylie is the writer of Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew, and plays Pip. Coral (they/them) is a writer, performer and theatre maker from West London. Their work finds its voice…

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Coral Wylie

Writer & Cast Member

Coral Wylie is the writer of Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew, and plays Pip.

Coral (they/them) is a writer, performer and theatre maker from West London. Their work finds its voice in the natural world (most often bugs..), playing in the overlaps of science and art. A founding member of the Bush Theatre’s Young Company, Coral’s work has been performed on the theatre’s main stage within their 2022 show ANTHEM. As a part of Soho Theatre Writers’ Lab, they wrote their first full length script, ENTOMOLOGY, which was longlisted for the Tony Craze Award 2022. Most recently, Coral was invited to join the Bush Theatre’s Emerging Writers’ Group, where they developed their current script Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew, which was then shortlisted for The Alfred Fagon Award 2023 before being programmed as part of the theatre’s 2024/25 season.
Omari Douglas

Cast Member

Omari Douglas plays Duncan. Omari is a BAFTA and Olivier nominated actor. He most recently starred in Joe Barton’s series for Netflix, Black Doves, alongside Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw.…

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Omari Douglas

Cast Member

Omari Douglas plays Duncan.

Omari is a BAFTA and Olivier nominated actor. He most recently starred in Joe Barton’s series for Netflix, Black Doves, alongside Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw. He is well known for his breakthrough role in Russell T Davies’ smash hit series, It’s A Sin (Channel 4/HBO Max) for which he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His other screen highlights include I Hate Suzie Too (Sky), Nolly (ITV) and the Searchlight feature film, Rye Lane.

On stage, he was recently seen in Ivo Van Hove’s A Little Life (Harold Pinter Theatre, Savoy Theatre). He also starred in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, opposite Jessie Buckley and Eddie Redmayne. His role in Constellations (Vaudeville Theatre) opposite Russell Tovey led to an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor. Other theatre credits include: White Rabbit, Red Rabbit (sohoplace), Romantics Anonymous (Bristol Old Vic), Wise Children, High Society (Old Vic), Rush (King’s Head), Peter Pan, Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent’s Park Open Air), Five Guys Named Moe (Marble Arch), Tristan & Yseult (Kneehigh/Shakespeare’s Globe), The Life (Southwark Playhouse), Annie Get Your Gun (Sheffield Crucible), Hairspray (Curve).
Pooky Quesnel

Cast Member

Pooky Quesnel plays Lorin. Pooky is widely recognised for her role as Louise in three seasons of BBC’s The A Word and its spin-off series Ralph and Katie. She recently…

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Pooky Quesnel

Cast Member

Pooky Quesnel plays Lorin.

Pooky is widely recognised for her role as Louise in three seasons of BBC’s The A Word and its spin-off series Ralph and Katie. She recently portrayed Pauline Treherne/Maureen Gardner in BBC series Moonflower Murders, Louise Fitzallan in Beyond Paradise, and Enid in ITV’s The Larkins. Additional credits include Mrs Linux in The Confessions of Frannie Langton, Mo Buckley in The Victim, Olga in Waterloo Road, Mandy in Sky’s Two Weeks to Live, and Maz in the BBC series Ladhood.

On stage, Pooky starred as Tracey in Sweat (Manchester’s Royal Exchange), Min in The Suicide (National Theatre), and Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Bristol’s Tobacco Factory). She has also performed at esteemed venues such as the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Almeida Theatre and Bristol Old Vic.

Beyond acting, Pooky’s screenwriting portfolio includes credits on Casualty, Doctors, and projects in collaboration with the National Theatre Studio.
Wil Johnson

Cast Member

Wil Johnson plays Brod. He makes his Bush Theatre debut in Leave Taking. His credits as a stage actor include: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (Old Vic), King Lear (Royal Exchange), A Wolf In Snakeskin Shoes (Tricycle Theatre), Fuente…

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Wil Johnson

Cast Member

Wil Johnson plays Brod. He makes his Bush Theatre debut in Leave Taking. His credits as a stage actor include: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (Old Vic), King Lear (Royal Exchange), A Wolf In Snakeskin Shoes (Tricycle Theatre), Fuente Ovejuna (National Theatre), Redundant (Royal Court), A Mad World My Masters (Shakespeare’s Globe), Serious Money (Birmingham Rep), The Queen and I (Out Of Joint), Torn (Arcola Theatre) and the lead in Othello (Royal Lyceum).

TV credits include: Carnival Row (Legendary), Outlander (Starz/Amazon), Vera, Lewis (ITV), Waking the Dead (BBC), The Five and Clocking Off (Red Productions), Moving On (LA Productions) and BAFTA best drama series, Cracker (Granada Television), Hidden Treasure (BAFTA Best Drama). Wil has also appeared in Waterloo Road (Shed Production), Hollyoaks (C4) and Emmerdale (ITV Yorkshire). Wil’s film credits include: Adulthood (Adulthood ltd), Anuvahood (Revolver), Midnight Breaks (Film 4), Dead End (Oceanstorm films) and Macbeth (Green Screen Productions).

Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster

Movement Director

Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster

Movement Director

Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster is a London based Movement Director and Choreographer.

Theatre Includes: Treasure Island (Orange Tree); Pericles (RSC & Chicago); Richard, my Richard (Shakespeare North); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (RSC & Barbican Theatre); Othello (Globe); Sleeping Beauty (Theatr Clywd); The Little Matchgirl and Happier Tales (Wise Children); Beautiful Thing (Stratford East, Leeds Playhouse, HOME Manchester); The Tempest Re Imagined (Regents Park Open Air Theatre & Unicorn Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Globe); The Flood (Queen’s Theatre); You Bury Me (Bristol Old Vic/UK tour); Lemons Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons (Harold Pinter Theatre); The Famous Five (Chichester Festival Theatre/Theatr Clwyd); Heart (Minetta Lane Theatre, New York); Romeo & Juliet/Little Women (Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre); An Octoroon (Abbey Theatre); Cock (Ambassadors Theatre); Mum (Soho Theatre/Theatre Royal Plymouth); Rockets and Blue Lights (National Theatre); Robin Hood, Beauty And The Beast, The Panto That Nearly Never Was, Pavilion (Theatr Clwyd); Black Victorians (National Tour); Overflow, Chiaroscuro (The Bush); The Bee in Me,
Aesop’s Fables, Grimm Tales (Unicorn Theatre); You Stupid Darkness (Southwark Playhouse); The Last Noel (Arts at the Old Fire Station/UK tour); On The Other Hand We’re Happy, Daughterhood, Dexter, Winters Detective Agency (Roundabout); Pop Music (National Tour); The Court Must Have a Queen (Hampton Court Palace); The Little Match Girl, Other Happier Tales (Shakespeare’s Globe/National Tour); The Little Prince (Omnibus Theatre)
Debbie Hannan

Director

Debbie Hannan

Director

Debbie Hannan writes and directs for stage and screen. They are currently Associate Director at National Theatre of Scotland, and Associate Artist at Cardboard Citizens. They were formerly Interim Artistic Director at Stockroom, theatre’s first writers room. They trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and as Trainee Director at the Royal Court, and recently joined the board of Theatre Uncut.

They have directed at theatres such as the Royal Court Theatre, the Young Vic, the Bush Theatre, Soho Theatre, the Royal Exchange (Manchester), the Tron Theatre (Glasgow), the Citizens Theatre (Glasgow), the Traverse Theatre (Edinburgh) and has worked with companies such as Complicité, Clean Break, Sonia Friedman Productions and Paines Plough, including winning an Olivier as Associate Director for Best Revival of Constellations on the West End.

Credits include Sound of the Underground (Royal Court), The Panopticon (National Theatre of Scotland) and Overflow (Bush Theatre). They received the Genesis New Director’s Award, and an MGC Futures Bursary. As a writer, they have been commissioned by Cardboard Citizens for the More Than One Story project, were recently shortlisted for the Alpine Fellowship Playwriting Award, are writing a new musical developed by Northern Stage, and are adapting a children’s book for the Unicorn Theatre.

Debbie has directed a short produced by Film4 and 104 Films, co-written with Matilda Ibini, which screened at London Film Festival 2023. They were Shadow Director on Shetland Season 6 & 7, and are developing a feature on a BFI Creative Challenge Lab. Debbie is now writing their first feature, with research supported by the Miles Ketley Memorial Fund.
Holly Khan

Sound Designer

Holly Khan

Sound Designer

Holly is a British/Guyanese composer, sound designer and multi-instrumentalist, creating scores for theatre, film and installation.  Most recent theatre work includes Statues (Bush Theatre), Bellringers (Hampstead Theatre) *OFFIE nominated for Best Sound Design*, Our Country’s Good (Lyric Hammersmith), Red Speedo (Orange Tree Theatre), Sam Wu is not Afraid of Ghosts (Polka Children’s Theatre), Sylvia (English Theatre Frankfurt GMBH), the Olivier nominated Blackout Songs, This Much I Know, Biscuits for Breakfast (Hampstead Theatre), Tess (Turtle Key Arts/Sadler’s Wells), Dreaming and Drowning (Bush Theatre), I Really Do Think This Will Change Your Life (Colchester Mercury), Duck (Arcola), Northanger Abbey, Red Speedo (Orange Tree Theatre), The Invincibles (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch), Unseen Unheard (Theatre Peckham), Laughing Boy, Jules and Jim (Jermyn Street Theatre), Mansfield Park (The Watermill), The Beach House (Park Theatre), For A Palestinian (Bristol Old Vic/Camden People’s Theatre) *OFFIE nominated for Best Sound Design*, Amal Meets Alice  (Good Chance Theatre Company, The Story Museum),  Kaleidoscope (Filskit Theatre Company, Southbank Centre/Oxford Playhouse), Ticker (Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle/Underbelly, Edinburgh/Theatre503).

Film and Installation work includes: Becoming An Artist: Bhajan Hunjan (Tate Kids), One Day (Blind Summit Theatre, Anne Frank Trust),  Sanctuary (Limbic Cinema, Stockton Arts Festival), Song for the Metro (The Sage Music Centre, Newcastle),  It’s About Time (UN Women/Battersea Arts Centre/Mayor of London), Their Voices (RAA & Global Health Film Festival, Barbican).
Jack Boissieux

Production Manager

Jack Boissieux

Production Manager

Jack runs a production management company working across theatre, opera, dance, musicals and events. He has worked on national and international touring productions, West End musicals and immersive/site specific theatre. Recent and current credits include The Choir Of Man (West End and International Touring), Bluey’s Big Play (International Touring), Head Of Production @ Waterperry Opera Festival, Pied Piper (National Touring), Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen (Bush Theatre and International Touring), A Very Naughty Christmas (Southwark Playhouse, Elephant), Wilko (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch), Lay Down Your Burdens (Barbican and National Touring), The Ancient Oak Of Baldor (National Touring), Lost Lending Library and A Curious Quest (Punchdrunk), Maddie Moate’s Very Curious Christmas (West End), Berlusconi (Southwark Playhouse, Elephant), The Borrowers (Theatre By The Lake), An Improbable Musical (National Touring), Habibti Driver (Octagon Theatre), Saving Face (Curve and National Touring), LAVA (Soho Theatre and National Touring) and the Annual Fundraising Gala for the National Youth Theatre.
Jasmine Dittman

Assistant Stage Manager

Jasmine Dittman

Assistant Stage Manager

Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew is Jasmine’s first show at the Bush. After several years working on arts festivals, she trained in stage and production management in Edinburgh and works across Theatre and Festivals.

Theatre credits include: The Years (Almeida) and Boys on the Verge of Tears (Soho Theatre).
Jatinder Chera

Casting Director

Jatinder Chera

Casting Director

For the Bush: Miss Myrtle’s Garden, Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew, The Real Ones, A Playlist for the Revolution, Sleepova, The P Word.

Other theatre includes: Marriage Material (Lyric Hammersmith); Scenes from a Repatriation, G (Royal Court); The Comeuppance (Almeida); The Flea, Samuel Takes a Break, Multiple Casualty Incident (The Yard); Sweat (Royal Exchange).

Awards include: Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, Sleepova and The P Word.
Jennifer Garland

Lighting Programmer

Jennifer Garland

Lighting Programmer

Jen Garland graduated from LAMDA in 2024 with a degree in Production and Technical Arts, specialising in Lighting.

Theatre credits include: Stranger Things: The First Shadow (West End); Machinal, Wolfie, Suite in Three Keys (Orange Tree); Opera Holland park – Various; Royal Court – Various; The Great Christmas Feast, 58th Street Country Club (The Lost Estate); Royal Variety Performance, Festival of Rememberance (Royal Albert Hall).

TV and Film credits: Behind the Mountain (Advert, Paramount Pictures); Graham Norton, Strictly Come Dancing, The Joy Awards, EA FC Pro (Light Initiative).
Laura Howard

Lighting Designer

Laura Howard

Lighting Designer

Laura Howard trained at LAMDA as a recipient of the William and Katherine Longman Charitable Trust Scholarship. Laura’s previous credits for the Bush Theatre: Invisible, Clutch, Elephant and The Kola Nut Does Not Speak English.
Max Johns

Set & Costume Designer

Max Johns

Set & Costume Designer

Max Johns trained in theatre design at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and was the recipient of a BBC Performing Arts Fellowship in 2015, and prior to this he worked for a number of years as a designer in Germany.

His most recent UK productions include costume design for Why Am I So Single? (Garrick Theatre), The Duchess [Of Malfi] co-design with Tom Piper (The Trafalgar Theatre), As You Like It (Shakespeare’s Globe), Sound Of The Underground co-design with Rosie Elnile (Royal Court), Choir Boy and Birthmarked (Bristol Old Vic), The Climbers (Theatre by the Lake), The P Word, Overflow, Strange Fruit and Rust (Bush Theatre), The Strange Undoing Of Prudencia Hart (Manchester Royal Exchange), Once Upon A Time In Nazi Occupied Tunisia (Almeida), King John (Royal Shakespeare Company), The Panopticon (National Theatre Scotland), Lord Of The Flies, Kes and Random (Leeds Playhouse), Heartbreakin’ (WLB Esslingen, Germany), Buggy Baby (Yard Theatre), Yellowman (Young Vic), The Half God Of Rainfall (Kiln/Birmingham Rep/Fuel), Urinetown (Central School of Speech and Drama), Wendy And Peter Pan (The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh), Utility and Twelfth Night (Orange Tree Theatre), Fidelio (London Philharmonic Orchestra), Enron and Our Town (the Egg), Life Raft, Medusa, The Light Burns Blue and Under A Cardboard Sea (Bristol Old Vic), and Hamlet and All’s Well That Ends Well (Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory).
Rebecca Natalini

Company Stage Manager

Rebecca Natalini

Company Stage Manager

Rebecca Natalini graduated with a BA in Stage Management from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and she is very excited to be working at the Bush Theatre again, after her recent work on Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew.

Recent stage management theatre credits include: Pride and Prejudice, Scenes from RENT – A Staged Performance (Curve); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (New Diorama): Zoe’s Peculiar Journey Through Time (UK and Norway tour); Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) (UK tour).
Maariyah Sharjil

Design Associate

Maariyah Sharjil

Design Associate

Maariyah Sharjil is a designer and a recent first-class graduate from BA Design for Performance at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (2021). Before her design training, Maariyah worked at Sands Films as a costume constructor.

Theatre credits include: Costume researcher for Life of Pi (American Repertory); Design associate and costume supervisor for The P-Word (Bush); Assistant Costume Supervisor for The Father and the Assassin (National); Costume Designer for The Key Workers’ Cycle (Almeida).