Cast Announced for Who is Claude Cahun?
The cast has been announced for Who is Claude Cahun? a poignant new production written by D.R. Hill (Draining The Swamp, UK Tour; House Clearance,Dixon and Galt) that will be coming to Southwark Playhouse Borough this Pride month. This powerful production will bring to life the extraordinary true story of trailblazing Jewish lesbian artist, Claude Cahun who defied the Nazi regime through acts of artistic resistance on the occupied island of Jersey during the Second World War.
Created by DRH Arts in association with Exchange Theatre, Who is Claude Cahun? reclaims a vital chapter of queer and trans history. Born Lucy Schwob into a French Jewish family, Cahun, along with lifelong partner Marcel Moore (born Suzanne Malherbe), escaped the confines of a male-dominated surrealist art scene in Paris and relocated to Jersey. When the Nazis occupied the Channel Islands in 1940, the couple launched a bold guerrilla campaign of subversive art to resist fascism – all while evading the Gestapo.
Lilit Lesser (Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light, BBC; We Were The Lucky Ones, Disney+/Hulu) stars as Claude Cahun, alongside Amelia Armande (Grace, ITV; The Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies, BBC) as Marcel Moore. They are joined by Ben Bela Böhm (Better Call Saul,AMC/Sony/Netflix; Mad Men, AMC/Netflix), Sharon Drain (Emmerdale, ITV; Homestead, Brighton Festival), and Gethin Alderman (Einstein and the Bomb, Netflix/BBC; The Boys in the Boat, MGM/Tempesta Films) in multiple roles.
This moving new production shines a light on a forgotten history of identity, courage, and rebellion – a timely and moving reminder of the radical power of self-expression. It gives voice to those silenced by history and celebrates the individuals who dared to live truthfully and resist fiercely.
Directed by David Furlong (Young Vic Jerwood Director, Artistic Director of Exchange Theatre), this evocative production will feature immersive projection mapping, moving images, surreal masks, and incredible physical theatre to reimagine Cahun’s surrealist world and underground resistance.
Writer D.R. Hill comments, The extraordinary 1930’s and 1940’s story of Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore remains largely invisible. Yet this courageous pair challenged gender identity and patriarchal hierarchies that informed even cutting edge artistic circles. They resisted Nazi oppression with a form of “guerrilla art” activism that is hugely relevant today. My inspiration was the desire to raise wide awareness of heroic individuals for too long undervalued as a result of homophobic, transphobic and misogynist attitudes
Tickets Tickets are available from £16 previews/ £24 standard atwww.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/who-is-claude-cahun
Main Image: Who is Claude Cahun?
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