Shebeen

An Autumn Season 1 production

This public production is part of LAMDA’s 2026 Autumn Season 1, and brings together our graduating BA (Hons) Professional Acting students and BA (Hons) Production & Technical Arts students, working alongside a professional creative team.

Writer

Mufaro Makubika

Director

Kalungi Ssebandeke

Venue

The Linbury Theatre

Performances

Saturday 10 October, 7pm

Monday 12 October, 2pm
Tuesday 13 October, 7pm
Wednesday 14 October, 2pm
Thursday 15 October, 7pm

Running time

To be confirmed

About the production

Jamaican couple Pearl and George are helping Caribbean migrants to cut loose by hosting a forbidden party at their shebeen. Pearl has dreams of opening a restaurant on the Wells Road. George, a retired boxer, has hung his dreams next to his gloves. A young interracial couple are falling in love and figuring out how to be together. As tensions mount on a night filled with rum, calypso and dancing, and with the shebeen under threat from the police, everyone is forced to confront the uncomfortable truths their relationships are built upon.

Kalungi Ssebandeke is a writer, actor and rapper based in London. He has written for the Young Vic, Bush Theatre and Talawa, amongst others. His plays include Prodigal (Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, 2021, as part of the Inside/Outside season of short plays) and Assata Taught Me (Gate Theatre, London, 2017).

Mufaro Makubika is a playwright who lives and works Nottingham. Credits for Nottingham Playhouse; How To Breathe. Shebeen was the winner of the 2017 Alfred Fagon Award for best new play.

Contains themes of racism, racial discrimination, interracial hostility, policing and institutional violence. Includes racist language and abuse, physical assault, restraint/arrest and racist police violence, knife/weapon material, alcohol and party behaviour, intimate/sexual material and strong language. The play is set against the racially motivated street violence experienced by Black communities in Nottingham in the summer of 1958.

This amateur production of SHEBEEN is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French, Ltd. www.concordtheatricals.co.uk

Booking information

General sale opens on Friday 18 September. Once you have booked a ticket, you will receive an email confirmation. Read up on our latest audience guidelines here.

Members of the industry: Secure your complimentary seat by emailing the Box Office on [email protected]

Pricing and concessions 

Tickets cost £14, but we have £7 concessions tickets available to Hammersmith & Fulham residents, schools, students, or people who are over 65, under 18 or are on Job Seeker’s Allowance. You’ll just need to provide proof of your eligibility when you collect your tickets at the Box Office. We offer a complimentary ticket for carers, to book please call the box office on 020 8834 0500. If you belong to our Pathways Programme or work with any of our Pathways Partners you are entitled to complimentary tickets. Please contact the box office to book.

Booking your tickets

Book your tickets online or by calling our box office on 020 8834 0500.

Industry booking

If you’re a member of the industry, please email [email protected] to book your tickets.

Group tickets

We’re pleased to offer discounted tickets to groups of 10+ people. Standard tickets are discounted to £9 per person, while under 18’s tickets are discounted to £5 per person. To book, please contact [email protected]

E-Tickets

There is no need to collect tickets. You will be send an E-Ticket via email which you can present on arrival.

Refunds

Unfortunately, all tickets are non-refundable.

Getting to LAMDA

LAMDA is a two-minute walk from Barons Court Station or a ten-minute walk from either West Kensington or Hammersmith Station. Please note, our nearest station, Barons Court, is undergoing refurbishment works throughout 2026. Find out more.

Accessibility

The public areas of our building are fully accessible, with lift access to all floors and accessible toilet facilities available for each theatre. If you have any additional requirements you would like us to be aware of, please contact box office on 020 8834 0500.

Creative team

* LAMDA staff member or visiting artist

Director

Kalungi Ssebandeke*

Designer

Delyth Evans*

Lighting Designer

Jack Moodie

Sound Designer

Erin Mitchell

Fight Director

Kev McCurdy*

Movement Director

Gabrielle Nimo*

Voice Director

Esi Acquaah-Harrison*

Producer

Sofi Berenger*

Assistant Producers

Jaclyn Fulton*

Daljinder Johal*

WHAM Specialist

Jobina Hardy

Cast

* LAMDA staff member or visiting artist

Pearl

Pearl Adams

Linford

Corey Fraser

Earnest

D’Andre George

Mary

Annabel Gray

Mrs Clark

Faith Joyce

Gayle

Elisabeth Mbaki

Sergeant Williams

Sam McBurnie

George

Dumo Mkweli

Constable Reed / Robert Dunne

Noah Spencer

Production team

* LAMDA staff member or visiting artist

Production Manager

Xitong Cao

Stage Manager

Manon Bonvoisin

Deputy Stage Manager

Kaz Piotrowicz

Assistant Stage Manager

Sam Webb

Production Lx

Will Smith

Dep Lx / Programmers

Luke Warren 

Gray Wills 

Production Sound Engineer

Nicola Usher

Dep PSE

Xander Owen

Production Carpenter

Phoebe Ford

Deputy Prod Carpenters

Sophie Robinson
Sara Salanki

Costume Supervisor

Caitlyn Keaney*