Shine, written and performed by actor, rapper and singer Kema Sikazwe (Kema Kay), will première at Live Theatre, Newcastle, from 2 to 11 May before transferring to the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh from 16 to 18 May.
The title comes from the meaning of his name Kema—“the One Who Shines”—in one of the Zambian languages, and the play is a coming of age story exploring, through his own words, songs and stories, what makes us who we are, and asks, "do the choices in our lives determine who we become? Are we in control of our own story, or is it in our DNA?"
He was three years old when his family moved from Zambia to Newcastle’s West End. Shine starts with a story of new surroundings, making a new life, and then watching that life fall apart. It's about growing up in a world that doesn’t always accept you, but gaining self-belief, trusting your head, your heart and always chasing your dreams.
Now he is a 25-year-old who developed a passion for rap, singing and songwriting at a local youth project, the Chat Trust, in Arthur’s Hill, Newcastle where he spent most of his time as a teen.
In his early 20s, he landed the role of Daniel Blake’s neighbour China in Ken Loach’s film I, Daniel Blake after going for an open audition as an extra.
He also appeared in the 2017 film version of Lady Macbeth and in TV series Wolfblood and The Dumping Ground (both BCC) and Beowulf and Vera (ITV). He also works with young people encouraging them in music, writing and creativity.
He was selected as a Live Theatre Associate Artist in 2017 and tested out some scenes from Shine, appearing before a live audience for the first time in the Elevator Festival Scratch Night at Live Theatre in 2018.
Working in collaboration with Graeme Thompson, Live's Creative Producer who is directing the play, he has written more than seven new songs for the show and worked on it over the last year.
“Kema is a great musical talent and when he first came to Live Theatre to develop his writing and performance skills it was clear we had a real opportunity to make a unique show,” said Thompson. “What we have created is something that really speaks to this city and the things happening in our world today. To think that this is his debut theatre show is very exciting, it’s a very ambitious piece of work. It’s a very personal story to Kema but there is so much people can relate to. Also, it has an amazing original soundtrack and music.”
“I’ve always wanted to inspire people to follow their heart through storytelling and personal experience,” Sikazwe added. “When I was given the opportunity to get up on stage and share my story at a scratch night at Live Theatre, the response was beyond what I expected. Although we all have a different journey, we also have many similarities. I’ve wanted to tell this story for years and now I have the platform it’s a dream come true.”