Burnt Up Love

Cast: Joanne Marie Mason, Alice Walker, Ché Walker

Written and Directed by Ché Walker

Playwright and Director Ché Walker returns to the Finborough Theatre, where he has directed six previous productions including Time is Love/Tiempo Es Amor, His Greatness, Etta Jenks, Blue Surge, Fog and Achidi J’s Final Hours. Che Walker’s writing includes Been So Long, featuring Sophie Okonedo (1998), Flesh Wound (Royal Court Theatre, winner George Devine Award 2003) and Crazy Love, featuring Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Paines Plough, winner Peter Brook Award 2007). In 2008, Che made theatrical history with The Frontline, the first contemporary-set new play to be performed at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. His musical adaptation of Been So Long premiered at The Young Vic and was adapted into a feature film. The 8th in collaboration with UK rock star Paul Heaton toured the country, starring HBO star Reg E Cathey. Lovesong, in collaboration with UK Soul Legend Omar, was produced by English Touring Theatre in 2011. The Lightning Child (2013) made history as the first musical at Shakespeare’s Globe. Klook’s Last Stand premiered at Park Theatre in 2014 and subsequently played at NAMT in New York, Horizon Theatre in Atlanta, Red Mountain Theatre in Birmingham Alabama. The Etienne Sisters played at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in 2015. Time Is Love featuring Sheila Atim transferred from Stella Adler, Los Angeles, to Finborough Theatre in 2019, selling out its run and is now optioned as a screenplay. Wolf Cub opened at Hampstead Theatre in 2022 to critical acclaim and sold out its run. Ché is currently under commission to Idris Elbas’ Green Door Films and Tiger Aspect TV. His documentary feature Connie has been selected for eighteen film festivals at time of writing.

Original Composer Uchenna Ngwe Uchenna Ngwe studied oboe and cor anglais at Trinity College of Music (now Trinity Laban). Since graduating, she has performed nationally and internationally as a soloist, as well as in theatre and orchestral chamber group presentations. Uchenna’s work as a performer, composer, arranger and curator has resulted in partnerships with a range of performing artists. Her role as founder and artistic director of Decus Ensemble recently led to a successful collaboration with Le Gateau Chocolat, where her original compositions and arrangements of works by Black classical composers were featured as part of Beyond the Bassline at The British Library in 2024. As an academic, Uchenna has presented and contributed to several BBC Radio programmes, including the Radio 3 documentary ‘Frank Johnson, Queen Victoria and the Black Brass Band’.  

Additional Original Composer Sheila Atim MBE is a British-Ugandan actress, singer, playwright, and model known for her versatile talents across stage, screen, and music. Born in Uganda in 1991, she moved to the UK with her mother when she was a baby and grew up in Rainham, Essex. Atim originally studied biomedical science at King’s College London before pursuing a career in the performing arts.  She first gained significant recognition for her performance in the Donmar Warehouse production of 'Girl from the North Country' in 2017, a musical featuring the songs of Bob Dylan. Her portrayal of Marianne Laine in the show earned her an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical in 2018.  Sheila Atim has since taken on a range of roles in theater, film, and television, showcasing her acting range and depth. Notable stage credits include her performances in 'Les Blancs' at the National Theatre and 'The Lightning Child' at Shakespeare’s Globe. Her television work includes roles in 'The Underground Railroad', and 'The Irregulars'. Film includes 'Sulphur and White', 'Bruised', and 'Doctor Strange' in the Multiverse of Madness.  In June 2019, Atim was named an MBE for her services to drama.