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Brand New Ancients

Brand New Ancients

Play

Director

November 2025

Tobacco Factory Theatre

‘This production, directed with muscular confidence by Denzel Westley-Sanderson, the surprise is just how assured the whole enterprise feels.’ - Bristol247

‘This masterclass in suspense could well be a product of Hitchcock, with almost architectural manipulation.’ -Bristol247

About this show

Adapted by Florence Espeut-Nickless for a 20-person cast, Brand New Ancients is Kae Tempest’s swirling, award-winning epic, told through the pulsating poetry and music, where the lives of ordinary people are illuminated with the power of the gods.  

In the clamorous sprawl of a city, two families become entangled through love, betrayal and survival. A pair of divided half-brothers, Clive, drawn into crime and anger, and Tommy, a comic-loving dreamer, converge in a moment of violence, whilst a courageous act of mythic defiance recalls the most potent stories of legend. 

Part gig-theatre, part spoken-word performance, the world premiere of this adaptation is performed by graduating students of Bristol School of Acting and invites us to see ourselves as modern heroes in an eternal tale, where the sacred and the everyday collide.

Adapted by Florence Espeut-Nickless for a 20-person cast, Brand New Ancients is Kae Tempest’s swirling, award-winning epic, told through the pulsating poetry and music, where the lives of ordinary people are illuminated with the power of the gods.  

In the clamorous sprawl of a city, two families become entangled through love, betrayal and survival. A pair of divided half-brothers, Clive, drawn into crime and anger, and Tommy, a comic-loving dreamer, converge in a moment of violence, whilst a courageous act of mythic defiance recalls the most potent stories of legend. 

Part gig-theatre, part spoken-word performance, the world premiere of this adaptation is performed by graduating students of Bristol School of Acting and invites us to see ourselves as modern heroes in an eternal tale, where the sacred and the everyday collide.

CREATIVE TEAM

Writer - Kae Tempest 

Adapted by - Florence Espeut-Nickless 

Director - Denzel Westley-Sanderson 

Designer & Lighting - Hugo Dodsworth 

Sound & Music -  Daniel Jarvis 

Costumes - Rhi Good Sound 1 - Ari Levy

cast

Yzabelle Walker

Kate Goodman

Clem Macfarlane

Andrew Fletcher

Kirbie Leigh Richards

Jamie Whitelaw

Melisa Mensah

Talia Jones

Kirbie Leigh Richards

Solena Rodriguez

Salome Haertel

Elle Davison

Tianna Lindo

Madeleine Chambers

Collette Marie

Ellie Butler

Edan Saunders

Tom Spurgeon

Joshua Smith

Dan Martindale

Sam Nicholls