Looking Back at Half Breed
In 2010, Natasha Marshall joined Talawa's TYPT summer school, and has been a part of the Talawa family ever since.
HALF BREED began its life as a poem at spoken word nights. It was developed by Natasha Marshall into a short play with Talawa Theatre Company and Soho Theatre’s Writers’ Lab in 2016.
HALF BREED is a one woman partly autobiographical dark comedy about faith in yourself: finding your voice, fighting for what you want and being fearless in who you are.
In June 2016 Natasha Marshall opened Talawa Firsts, Talawa's festival of new writing, with her play HALF BREED. That first outing was directed by Miranda Cromwell, who has maintained the directorial helm ever since.
HALF BREED was shortlisted for the Soho Young Writers’ Award and the Alfred Fagon Award in 2016.
In 2017, after many years of careful nurturing HALF BREED played to audiences in London, and then Edinburgh in a Talawa and Soho Theatre co-production. The play, and Natasha Marshall's performance, garnered rave reviews (see below). HALF BREED then went on an international tour to India.
Marshall was nominated as 'Most Promising New Playwright' for HALF BREED in the #Offies2018.
In 2021, HALF BREED comes to your TV screens and laptops courtesy of the BBC.
Ann Treneman, The Times
★★★★ “Marshall … holds our attention: she’s got something special about her, almost a sort of wildness. I think she’s going to be a star.”
Veronica Lee, Evening Standard
★★★★ “ Marshall ... gives an impassioned performance … funny and gripping, and its emotional punch feels very real.”
Lyn Gardner, The Guardian
"Natasha Marshall’s debut show, which she also performs solo, is a little cracker: full of fierce wit and neat observations about village life and what being a best mate really means."
Clare Brennan, The Observer
"Vivid characters; split-second changes; intelligent analysis delivered with emotional intensity – as writer and as performer, Marshall is breathtaking."
Joy Francis, Words of Colour
★★★★ "Natasha Marshall is a storyteller to watch in this exceptional one-woman performance."
Natasha Marshall
“My whole life I’ve been holding my breath, but when I perform Half-Breed I feel like I’m breathing ... I want to create a conversation, I want to open people’s minds up."
