Lyric Hammersmith reveals initial casting for ”School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play”

The Lyric Hammersmith has announced casting for the UK premiere of School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play.

Written by Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Monique Touko, the comedy is set in 1986 in Ghana’s prestigious Aburi Girls Boarding School and speaks directly to character tropes similar to the hit Mean Girls film starring Lindsay Lohan.

Bioh said: “School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play is a love letter to young Black girls. I wanted to highlight all that is beautiful and special about us and our place in this world. This play celebrates our humor, joy, heartbreaks, and the deep journey I went on to owning my beauty. I never imagined that I would have an opportunity to share this play with an audience outside of New York City, so I am beyond thrilled to make my UK playwriting debut at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. This is such a dream come true; and that I get to work with such an incredible director, cast and design team is the cherry on top of the most delicious theatrical cake!”

Touko added: “I visited Aburi School for Girls, the school that inspired Jocelyn, on a trip to Ghana at the beginning of the year, and I was reminded of how important the story of and representation in School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play is. The play is a comedy with universal appeal and explores the vulnerable, tender moments of teenagehood. These nuanced and jubilant portrayals of Black women aren’t seen on stage or screen enough. We have a stellar cast and creative team bringing this message to London and I’m so excited to work with the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre for the show’s UK premiere.”

The cast includes Heather Agyepong (The Power) as Ama, Bola Akeju (Ted Lasso) as Mercy, Deborah Alli (Undercover) as Eloise, Francesca Amewudah-Rivers (Bad Education) as Gifty, Jadesola Odunjo (You) as Nana, and Tara Tijani (Death in Paradise) as Paulina. Additional casting will be revealed in due course.

The production also features set design by Paul Wills, costume design by Kinnetia Isidore, wigs, hair and make-up design by Cynthia De La Rosa, lighting design by Matt Haskins, sound design by Tony Gayle, movement by Aline David and casting by Julia Horan CDG.

The UK premiere runs at the Lyric from 8 June until 15 July, with a press night set for 14 June.

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