The first production photos of Girls, Theresa Ikoko's play about three teenage friends taken captive in Nigeria, have been released as the Young Vic production reaches press night, with Hannah Akhalu, Tara Tijani and Sewa Zamba in the Maria until 21 November.
The Young Vic has released the first production photos of Girls, set in Nigeria in 2014, on the day the play holds its press night. The pictures, taken by Helen Murray, follow the rehearsal images the theatre shared earlier this month, and are the first proper look at the staging in the Maria, the Young Vic's studio space.
Ewa Dina, winner of the 2026 JMK Award, directs a script with a considerable record behind it: Theresa Ikoko's play took the Alfred Fagon Award in 2015 and the George Devine Award in 2016, and was a finalist for the Verity Bargate Award. Press night is tonight, Tuesday 27 October, at 7pm, and the run continues until 21 November.
The three-strong company, announced in September, carries the whole evening. Hannah Akhalu plays Tisana, Tara Tijani plays Haleema and Sewa Zamba plays Ruhab. Akhalu's credits include Cinderella at the Rose Theatre and Every Leaf a Hallelujah at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre; Tijani's include Beauty or Beast? A series of interviews at the Young Vic and A Midsummer Night's Dream at Shakespeare's Globe; and Zamba's include Jaja's African Hair Braiding at the Lyric Hammersmith and Shakespeare with Dame Judi Dench at The Mill at Sonning.
When the play opens, the three are ordinary best friends, trading gossip about celebrities and sex and swearing off carbohydrates. Then militant insurgents abduct them, and with no one to rely on but each other, their bond starts to give way under fear and the religious differences between them.
Much of what the photos capture is the work of Raphaé Memon, who designs both set and costumes. The floor is covered in Nigerian red sand, a line of television screens serves as the captives' only window on the world beyond, and dried hibiscus flowers hang above the action. Lighting is by Elliott Griggs, the composition by féz and the sound design by Munotida Chinyanga, with movement direction by dkfash, video design and programming by Sophie Bramley, and fight and intimacy direction by Haruka Kuroda.
Given the material, it is notable that the company includes a production dramatherapist, Samantha Adams. The wider team is completed by Maddie Bevan (costume supervisor), Tomi Ogunjobi (dialect coach), Aundrea Fudge (voice coach), Carmel Macraee (production manager), Lavinia Serban (stage manager), Shaneice Brown (deputy stage manager) and Amy Gelnar (technical assistant stage manager).
Girls runs at the Young Vic until Saturday 21 November 2026, Monday to Saturday at 8pm, with Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 3pm. There is a captioned performance on Thursday 12 November at 8pm, a BSL performance on Friday 13 November at 8pm and a relaxed performance on Wednesday 18 November at 3pm.
