Marble Cake is a brand-new play which takes a snapshot look at the relationship between a mixed-race brother and sister, Kumi and Keisha, as they come together for the first time in months. Over the course of one evening Keisha returns to visit Kumi in their family home and issues that they have not previously explored together come to the surface for the first time; the impact is huge. The curtain is drawn back, and the audience is brought into this intimate and difficult moment between them, where they try to navigate conversations of race, abandonment, and male mental health.

If you liked School Girls or The African Mean Girls Play, which explores black culture and beauty standards of the western world, then you will enjoy how Marble Cake continues to explore black and mixed-race culture. You will also appreciate how this play unpacks serious questions of identity and looks in depth at how people of dual heritage are perceived by the world, themselves and each other through dialogue, movement, and music.

Marble Cake is written and performed by two young mixed-race (Black African/Caribbean and White British) actors and is not just for those who are of dual heritage. It will resonate with anyone who has a connection or interest in this identity, and those who want to know more about how heritage can deeply affect an individual’s life and experiences. The play is not trying to give concrete answers to any of these questions, but more to examine and open the conversation around them, particularly highlighting how varied and complex an individual’s relationship with identity can be.

Tags: chequeredtheatrecompany, group, professional, summer2024, ThePlace