This week the highly anticipated show America The Beautiful premieres in London. The show which is opening at The Kings Head Theatre is written by Neil LaBute (In the Company of Men, The Shape of Things) and runs between the 9th March to the 4th April. I caught up with cast member Maya-Nika Bewley to find out all about it.
Hello! Tell us about yourself ?
Hello! My name is Maya-Nika Bewley, a half Dutch, half American actor. I’ve lived in the UK since graduating from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and have been a professional actor across Theatre, Film, TV, and VoiceOver for almost 10 years!
Tell us a but about the show America the Beautiful.
America the Beautiful is a poignant collection of short plays by American playwright Neil LaBute. Each performance week will have a different collection of pieces, with each piece touching on some of the most painful, humorous, relatable, moving and deeply human lived experiences of Americans in this current social climate. However, I find that each and every piece is relatable to anyone, from any generation, anywhere in this world. We are all human, therefore no human experience is alien to us.
How are rehearsals going?
So well! James Haddrell is a brilliant director, who has helped us bring Neil’s engaging natural writing style to life. Rehearsing these pieces feels like having conversations with friends. We all feegl so incredibly lucky to be dong this calibre of work!
What can you tell us about the staging?
The staging and design are incredibly clever and thoughtful, all thanks to our masterful designer Jana Lakatos (Paul Kimpton Prize for Innovation Winner 2022). The set is minimal so as to let the text shine, but you’ll have to come see it to find out any more!
Tell us a little bit about the rest of the cast
We are all American actors who trained here in the UK, and have worked in theatre, film, TV and VoiceOver. Each one of us is drawing on our lived experience of growing up in the United States which gives us a personal and cultural framework from which to approach each story we are telling. Borris Anthony York, Liam Jedele, Anna Maria, and Maya-Nika Bewley (myself) make up the core cast, with Anna Albie joining for performance week 2 with her version of Unlikely Japan.
What is the most challenging thing about doing the show?
The material is at times very confronting, personally challenging and sometimes feels like a gymnastics exercise to get right. But I cannot stress enough how important it is that these subjects are seen, discussed and digested, so it feels completely worth it to dig deep, and bravely face a difficult topic, or a sentence that will only makes sense if the rhythm is just so.
The best thing about doing the show?
The best thing about the show is the enormous amount of heart that is being poured into these stories by everyone who is working on this piece. Not only do the actors bring their full capacity, kindness, understanding and curiosity into the room each day, but the production team, the theatre staff, the directors, and everyone who is making it possible for us to bring this to life is giving it their all, so that we can share it with whoever wants to listen.
What have been some of the best highlights since doing the show?
We laugh, a lot. There is humour to be found absolutely anywhere, and to be in a room full of people who can laugh even as we are discussing something tough feels like winning the lottery.
If people want to follow you on social media where can they find you?
Please follow @kingsheadtheatre and @greenwichtheatre on social media to find more information and how to book!
Finally in three words why should people come to America the Beautiful?
I’m going to cheat and do four words:
Important, not just now.
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