EXCLUSIVE: David Ajala’s production outfit VP & Chairman has joined the London revival of Assata Taught Me as Associate Producer.
Written and directed by Kalungi Ssebandeke (Meetings by Mustapha Matura), the production will run from May 12-24 at London’s Riverside Studios. Clarisse Makundul (Under the Kundè Tree) is also an Associate Producer on the production. The revival is produced by Sse So Productions.
Susan Lawson‑Reynolds (Three Little Birds, Luther: The Fallen Sun) will star as Assata Shakur, an American activist, author, and former Black Panther member who lived in exile in Cuba until her death in 2025. Starring opposite Lawson‑Reynolds will be Ebenezer Gyau (Suspect), who will star as Fanuco Maceo, a disillusioned Cuban man unaware that his mentor has a $2m bounty on her head.
The fictional two-hander finds an aged Assata Shakur still exiled on a troubled Caribbean Island, where she’s approached by a local 21-year-old desperate to live the American Dream. Shakur died in September 2025, aged 78. Cuban officials cited the reason for her death as old age and health conditions. News of her death prompted widespread discussion of the U.S government’s actions in the legal case that led to Shakur’s exile.
Originally produced by The Gate Theatre in 2017 and directed by Lynette Linton (RSC The Boy Who Harnessed Wind) with Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton) and Kenneth Omole (Testament) starring, the 2026 show will mark the first revival of the production.
“At VP & Chairman, we are delighted to collaborate with like-minded talents like Kalungi,” Ajala said in a statement. “Transforming creative visions into powerful and impactful storytelling.”
English (US) ·