Work This Pussy by Juliana Ayeni Stevens at Talawa Firsts 2021
Talawa Firsts: Thursday 15th July 2021
Meet Katherine aka Kitz, she’s 100% real … well that’s what she thinks! Kitz is a Black British Nigerian who’s proud to be from Essex and isn’t afraid to talk candidly about her sexuality, her childhood, her culture and her faith. After years of suppressing her sexual identity she's on a path to tackle those cultural, social and religious conditions to finally face who she really is. But how real is her life?
Juliana Ayeni Stevens
"Let’s be honest you’ve never met anyone like me.....actually maybe you have but that doesn’t matter cos I’m here now! My shit ain’t quite “together, together” but then again who’s life is really that together?! So here’s me, a 30-something (I’ll keep y’all guessing my age) Black-British Nigerian queer woman.....actually let’s be real, this chick loves pussy no dicks round here!"
Juliana Ayeni-Stevens is a writer and producer. An alumnus of 2018/2019 Soho Theatre Writers Lab.
Juliana started her journey aspiring to become an actress but shortly after finishing university threw herself into a full-time career within talent management and various roles within the arts and entertainment industry. Juliana began producing in 2016, completed a course in producing at Raindance, has produced two short films, including writing and directing one and also writing sketches.
As a writer, Juliana loves telling real stories about the human experience which centre the female voice.
We're delighted to welcome Juliana Ayeni Stevens to Talawa Firsts 2021. Work This Pussy had us laughing one minute, jaw hanging open the next, and gripped by every twist in the story. It's a tale rarely told, from a perspective we need to value. Work This Pussy will give you a lot to think about, and we're pretty sure you'll be talking about Juliana's play for some time to come.
The Work This Pussy Company
Writer: Juliana Ayeni-Stevens
Director: Simone Watson
Cast
Kitz : Urielle Klein-Mekongo
Derek : Raphael Bushay
Stage Managers
Stage Manager: Kevanna Etten
Assistant Stage Manager: Waverley Moran
Producers:
Ifrah Ismail + David Gilbert + Chuchu Nwagu