Leah Harvey and Sophie Melville to star in Girl in the Machine at the Young Vic

The Young Vic Theatre has announced the casting for Girl in the Machine by Stef Smith, directed by Annie Kershaw, the 2024 recipient of the Genesis Future Directors Award.

Leah Harvey, known for Foundation and Small Island, will play Rowan, with Sophie Melville, from Iphigenia in Splott, as Polly. This production explores the interaction between humans and technology. The story follows the duo’s relationship, which becomes strained when Rowan brings home the Black Box, a device promising to cure depression.

The production will run from 16 to 26 October 2024 in the Young Vic’s Clare Theatre as part of the Creators Program and Genesis Future Directors Award program.

The creative team includes designer Khadija Raza, sound designer Odinn Orn Hilmarsson, lighting designer Lucía Sánchez Roldán, movement director Nevena Stojkov, associate sound designer Neil McKeown, with casting by Jacob Sparrow, and Jerwood Trainee Assistant Director Neve Adams.

The Genesis Future Directors Award, made possible by the Genesis Foundation, supports early-career directors by offering them the chance to direct a fully resourced production at the Young Vic, with mentoring from the theatre’s artistic team. Since 2012, the award has supported 17 emerging directors, including Andrea Ling, Deirdre McLaughlin, and Diyan Zora.