COUNTERMINERS, M&M ENTS AND THE PLAYGROUND THEATRE PRESENT THE WORLD PREMIERE OF SPANISH ORANGES - WRITTEN BY ALBA ARIKHA AND DIRECTED BY MYRIAM CYR

 Counterminers, M&M Ents, and The Playground Theatre, are proud to announce the world premiere of Spanish Oranges, the debut play by Alba Arikha, Samuel Beckett’s goddaughter, with direction from Myriam Cyr to take place at The Playground Theatre in West London next year. Spanish Oranges will run at The Playground Theatre from Wednesday 11 February – Saturday 7 March, with a press performance on Monday 16 February. 

Two artists. One marriage. 

Fiona is a novelist on the brink of fame with a new book that blurs the line between fiction and confession. Ivo, once a celebrated actor, has been cancelled—and he suspects Fiona’s success may be built on the bones of his downfall. 

Set over a single turbulent morning, this razor-sharp play examines the shifting power dynamics between love and ambition, truth and narrative, art and the people it consumes. 

Star of classic James Bond film The Living Daylights alongside Timothy Dalton, Maryam D'Abo (Cyrano De Bergerac, Toulouse; Beth Henley’s Abundance, Riverside Studios) leads a stellar cast in this blistering new play as ‘Fiona Stedman’ alongside Jay Villiers (The Couple Next Door, Channel 4 and Grace, ITV) as ‘Ivo’, with Arianna Branca (Antigone, Edinburgh Fringe; Salomé, Edinburgh Fringe) as ‘Lydia Stedman’. 

Writer, Alba Arikha, is an acclaimed author and has published six books to date, including her newest novel, Two Hours, published by Eris Press in Spring 2024. Her memoir, Major/Minor, was shortlisted for the 2012 Spear’s Awards and was adapted into an opera which was performed in 2020 at the Playground Theatre. Her novel, Where to Find Me, was longlisted for the 2020 Wingate Prize. Her books have been translated into eight languages, and her essays and poems have appeared in the TLS, London Magazine, and Tortoise Media among others. She has also been a regular contributor to Radio 4 and been included in Pick of the Week. She has taught creative writing masterclasses for the Guardian, the Royal Academy of Art, the University of Hertfordshire, and Columbia University.   

She said: “As a novelist, I’ve often explored the dynamics of a marriage, the pattern of interactions that evolve between a couple. I became interested in illustrating that same pattern through dialogue rather than prose, and with two artists as protagonists: Ivo the actor, Fiona the writer. How might such a couple navigate that dynamic?  Success and failure, money and power, the clash of two talented egos - Ivo has been cancelled, Fiona is on the brink of fame.  What would those repercussions be not only on the couple but their daughter? The conflict between motherhood and art? Spanish Oranges was my way to answer those questions, and I’m delighted to see it brought to the stage.” 

Director, Myriam Cyr, is an internationally acclaimed actress, director, writer, producer and songwriter whose career spans theatre, film, and multimedia creation in London, New York, and across Europe. As Artistic Director and co-founder of Punctuate 4 Productions, she has developed and staged new works including Simon Says (hailed by the NY Times as “thrilling”), Moving Bodies, No Victors, No Vanquished, and Saltonstall (winner of multiple BroadwayWorld Boston Awards). She most recently directed Madame Mozart by Anne Undeland in Massachusetts.  A recipient of numerous international acting awards, she has performed leading roles around the world including opposite Al Pacino in Salome on Broadway.  As a producer she has worked on the New York Comedy Film Festival and is currently developing the television series 7 Days in Rome with director Lisa Forrell. She is also one of the producers of the Women’s Voices Festival at the Playground Theatre in London, alongside Naomi Sorkin and Kamini Banga. She said: “Spanish Oranges walks those blurred lines between private and public, between love and the need for space, between truth and fiction, between a woman and a man. We are flys on the wall. In real time we see two lives irrevocably change and at the end nothing will ever be the same.” 

The Creative team also includes Martha Barrow (Looking for Fun, Theatre503; Hysteria, Golden Goose Theatre) as Sound Designer with Lighting Design by Tom Beazley (Three of a Kind, Edinburgh Fringe; Hysteria, Golden Goose Theatre). 

Counterminers is a Community Interest Company based in London led by Lew Forman, focusing on supporting emerging artists’ professional development in the theatre industry. This comes in many forms, from producing short-run Fringe theatre and rehearsed readings, to general management and small-scale investment opportunities, to workshops and events in collaboration with major theatre venues in the UK. Their main project is As Yet UnScene, an ongoing artist development programme for writers, directors and actors based on workshopping short-form scripts.  

M&M Ents is a new production company, a joint venture between Myriam Cyr and Maryam D'Abo, who direct and star in Spanish Oranges respectively. Spanish Oranges is their debut production. 

The Playground Theatre, situated in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (W10), close to the Grenfell Tower, is a unique creative space that originated from a former bus depot. It was established in 1998 by founder and Artistic Director Peter Tate as a haven for innovative theatre artists across various disciplines. The theatre's primary purpose is to provide a platform for these artists to "play" with their imaginative ideas and search for their unique voice. With its commitment to fostering creativity and providing a stage for innovative projects, The Playground Theatre has become a dynamic force in the theatrical landscape, contributing to the development and production of groundbreaking performances.