BU21 Cast Biographies

Lucy: Lucy Harper
Lucy is a Graphic Designer by day and a performer by night/weekends/days off. She has enjoyed creating drama from the ripe age of 4, and has been involved in various productions from devised pieces to straight up classics ever since. Most recently you will have found her at Bestival festival as part of an improvisation troop tasked with increasing the peace amongst festival goers; mostly achieved through immersive games and storytelling. She enjoys dancing to disco and making cheese sandwiches.

David: David Hepburn
David is a Scottish actor living in London. David has played lead and supporting roles in over 30 stage shows across the UK. Last year David was Dorian Gray in The Picture of Dorian Gray at The Space Theatre before taking the production to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and in January next year David will be The Creature in Tower Theatre’s Frankenstein. This is David’s first KDC Theatre show and thanks all the cast/crew for putting up with him.

Melissa: Melissa Phillips
Melissa trained and worked as an Actor in New Zealand before moving to London in 2013. Melissa’s most recent credits have been in the commercial world for brands such as First Direct Bank, GiffGaff and Aldi. You can often find Melissa at the National Theatre bookshop devouring new plays! She has a strong interest in new writing, musical theatre & devised work. BU21 is Melissa’s first show with KDC!

Keir: Keir Mills
This is Keir’s fifth production with KDC. Having somewhat exacerbated a family feud as Tybalt in Romeo & Juliet, he then attempted to keep his head, Rudyard Kipling style, as Dr Cardin in The Children’s Hour and then vehemently express a vision of anti-E.U.topia as The Terrorist in There Has Possibly Been An Incident and most recently hamming up his Tony Soprano vernacular to its upmost as Sal in Den Of Thieves. Alongside his stage work, Keir’s on-screen credits include the feature films City Rats and Shaun Of The Dead and acclaimed shorts HoneymoonThe Outcasts and Green Means Stop. Not forgetting TV Shows including Channel 4’s Teachers and Messiah and the usual rounds of The Bill (R.I.P.), Holby City and Casualty amongst others. Keir is proud of the fact that Charlie Brooker once called him the biggest c**t in advertising for a truly appalling Coke Zero commercial.

Previous to this, the most amount of times Keir had written ‘Keir’ in any singular piece of writing was four. So he is proud to have taken the opportunity to beat this record… comfortably. Keir knows this bio will be cut.

Lene: Lene Kqiku
After moving to London in 2013, Lene Kqiku has pursued her dream of becoming the UK’s premiere Finnish/Albanian actress. With this, her first performance at KDC, she is already well on the way.

After studying with a range of acting schools, she has begun working on a number of short film projects, including the upcoming sci-fi Opus one, drama Brexit and psychological horror thriller Carcera.

With a passion for drama, both on and off the stage, she can often be found performing in the streets, bus depots and strangers’ weddings.

Jess: Jess Ketchen
BU21 is Jess’s first show with KDC. Jess works in an office day-to-day but loves to perform in her free time. She hasn’t featured in a show for over 2 years, since she performed Horizon in the Soho theatre, using her time instead to take up new hobbies, such as pole fitness and bouldering. She is now excited to get back on the stage.

Interviews with Cast #2 Keir Mills

To continue our series of interviews about being part of the winter season, we catch up with KDC-er Keir Mills who is in BU21.

What drew you to this play?

Well firstly the amazing Steph is directing it. What human wouldn’t be drawn to that. But furthermore, the structure of the play itself is incredibly unique. A series of interlocking monologues that dip in front and behind the fourth wall at various points.

The characters are so carefully constructed. Each one lovingly carved out of the material of life and delicately positioned throughout the show, there isn’t a moment that doesn’t ring true. It really is an incredible piece of work.

I had read the play before the auditions, just on a whim, and had been incredibly impressed with it. I had also seen the write ups from the first run of it – they had kept popping up in my social spaces – so it was like, if I hadn’t put myself forward for it, I would’ve been slapping fate in the face. And if there’s one thing you shouldn’t do to fate it’s slap fate in the face.

What is it about KDC that keeps you coming back?

Well, firstly, blame yourselves for casting me.

But secondly, KDC is a truly rare theatre company that from the instant you walk into an audition you are treated like friend. Whether it be your first casting or your fiftieth. Everyone is incredibly supportive of everyones projects. Whether inside or outside of KDC itself. The same faces start appearing at other fringe shows and you realise that KDC is like the Kevin Bacon of fringe theatre. You are never more than a few steps away from a KDC-er. This honestly creates a rare and wonderful atmosphere that is simply delightful to breathe.

How are you finding working on a script that is monologue based?

It is a different challenge. Usually you can use other actors to help to create your character. You bounce off other people in a scene as everyone pushes the other to make the most of their parts. But with something like this – you are out on your own – predominantly. You have to feed the character yourself for the most part. You rise and fall by your own choices. It’s really quite nerve-racking. One new step and you can take to entire delivery on a tangent you didn’t see coming. You have to reign yourself in and then throw yourself out.

And if something goes wrong in your big scene, with a monologue, chances are, it’s your fault.

BU21

BU21 is comprised of 6 interlinking monologues that follows the story of a group of young people and how their lives are altered in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in central London.
 
 
“These days there’s just this endless stream of horrendous shit going down… it feels sort of voyeuristic to watch, but sort of disrespectful to switch it off… you can’t literally conceive of it happening to you… then it does… and nothing prepares you for how fierce it is.’
 
First performed in March 2016 in association with Kuleshov, it transferred after it’s sell-out run at Theatre503 to Trafalgar Studios in January this year.
 
This play is dark, smart, funny even heart-warming at times but does not pull any punches. Stuart Slade describes it as “my attempt to understand how people cope with, and potentially overcome, traumatic events in their lives. Based on exhaustive research from a range of terrorist events, it’s a play that faces the darkest of tragedies square in the face but also leaves room for optimism and hope”.
 
BU21 will be performed at Baron’s Court Theatre.
Updates on the production coming soon…

BU21 Cast List

Congratulations to the cast of BU21, the show will be performed at Barons Court Theatre 28 November – 2 December.

David: David Hepburn
Lucy: Lucy Harper
Jess: Jess Ketchen
Keir: Keir Mills
Lene: Lene Kqiku
Melissa: Melissa Phillips

Auditions Autumn 2017

The cat is out of the bag! Auditions for the Autumn 2017 season:

When: Monday 18, Tuesday 19, Wednesday 20 September from 6.45pm
Where: Theatre Delicatessen Deli Studios, 2 Finsbury Ave, EC2M 2PA (nearest tube Moorgate or Liverpool St)

Otherwordly – a KDC Theatre Devised Piece
directed by Kim Morrison

Otherwordly Audition Notice

 

BU21 – written by Stuart Slade
directed by Stephanie Urquhart

BU21 Audition Notice