Youngest of four siblings, sixteen-year-old Ella is popular, addicted to social media, Queen of the Selfie, and mixed race. Her thriving YouTube channel has make up tips, opinions, and videos of her boisterous family. But after one of her videos goes viral, Ella finds herself in the centre of a social media storm that leads to a family meltdown. With her identity and perception of beauty challenged, can Ella promote self-love without fueling hate?
Written by Lynette Linton (the artistic director of the Bush Theatre), the show is a heart-warming and hilarious exploration of the conflicting ideas of what it means to be mixed race in Britain today. #Hashtag Lightie has been nominated for the Alfred Fagon audience award. It was revived in November 2017, following a sell-out run at the Arcola Theatre earlier that year, and was directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair.
The full cast is: Devon Anderson, Grace Cookey-Gam, Adele James, Sophia Leonie, John Omole and Jamie Richards. The book contains the text of the play plus cast, creative and crew photos and biographies.
'[A] funny, nuanced portrait of growing up mixed race... impressive.' **** 4 stars - The Stage
'[A] a simultaneously far-reaching and concentrated delight, that excels on all fronts.' ***** 5 stars - Londontheatre.com
'[A] a masterful examination of how we deal with race in modern culture. The characters are vivid, and serious issues are dealt with deftly, playing out with both humour and heart-wrenching emotion.' **** 4 stars - The Upcoming
'Kudos to Linton for creating a memorable piece of theatre blazing the trail for narratives focusing on the multi-faceted mixed race experience.' **** 4 stars - Theatre Full Stop
You can buy this text via the following outlets:
UK: Blackwell's / Amazon
US: Barnes & Noble / Amazon
Watch the trailer for #Hashtag Lightie here: