Liz White (Kathy) and Abby Vicky-Russell (Rebecca) in rehearsals for LIVING. Photo credit: Manuel Harlan
By Grace Hatchell, Yorkshire Tea Connoisseur
Well now, pull up a chair and pop kettle on because there’s a fresh parcel in me satchel and it smells strongly of Yorkshire carpets, strong tea and fifty-odd years of life happening whether you’re ready for it or not.
Sheffield Theatres have released rehearsal images for the world premiere of LIVING, a brand new state-of-the-nation drama by Sheffield playwright Leo Butler, directed by Abigail Graham. The production runs at the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse from Sat 14 March to Sat 4 April 2026.
This one’s proper home turf. The play sits inside a family living room in Pitsmoor, Sheffield and follows Kathy and Brian, who move into a big old house on Burngreave Road in 1969. They’re twenty, hopeful, a couple of babies on the way and convinced life will unfold sensibly if they just keep the heating on and the bills paid.
Reader, it does not.
Because living, as anyone who has ever tried to juggle wages, children and a broken washing machine will tell you, has a habit of happening all at once. Decades roll past. Governments change. Thatcherism, Blairism and Trump drift across the television set while tea gets poured and arguments get settled in kitchens. The question quietly humming underneath is whether a home can hold together while the world outside keeps reinventing itself.
The cast of eight take on more than thirty roles across the 55-year story. Harki Bhambra plays Rajesh, Michelle Bonnard plays Jules, Samuel Creasey plays Mike, Kenny Doughty plays Brian, Andrew Macklin plays Sean, Melina Sinadinou plays Maya, Abby Vicky-Russell plays Rebecca and Liz White plays Kathy. If you’ve ever tried keeping track of relatives at a wedding reception you’ll appreciate the effort here, except these lot are doing it nightly under stage lights.
Writer Leo Butler explained the piece is deeply personal, set in the community he grew up in and shaped by humour, politics and resilience. He describes it as the most ambitious play he has written and says he’s delighted to be bringing it home to Sheffield audiences with Abigail Graham and the creative team.
Director Abigail Graham calls the play a hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking love letter to community and female resilience, describing it as both epic and intimate and the kind of night out that only theatre can properly give. Which is director-speak for “bring tissues but also bring someone you like because you’ll want a chat afterwards”.
Artistic Director Elizabeth Newman says it felt important to programme Leo Butler in her first season, noting he is a major Sheffield voice who has never previously had a play produced on these stages. She’s particularly excited for audiences to see his collaboration with Abigail Graham and the company bringing the story to life.
Behind the scenes the creative team includes writer Leo Butler, director Abigail Graham, set and costume designer Sarah Beaton, lighting designer Matt Haskins, sound designer Annie May Fletcher, video designer Dan Light, movement and intimacy director Angela Gasparetto, casting director Sophie Parrott CDG, fight director Bret Yount, associate director Gitika Buttoo, wigs, hair and make up designer Darren Ware and assistant director Georgie Botham. A full house of theatre folk keeping the kettle metaphorically boiling.
From where I’m stood on me delivery round, this feels less like a single story and more like a memory box. Not a grand epic about kings or heroes, but about wallpaper choices, pay packets, politics drifting in through the television and the stubborn bravery of keeping a family going year after year. Sometimes the most dramatic thing on stage is a sofa that never moves.
Listings
Sheffield Theatres presents Living by Leo Butler
Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse
Sat 14 March to Sat 4 April 2026
Press performance Thu 19 March 7pm
Audio described performance Wed 1 April 7pm
Captioned performance Sat 4 April 2.15pm
Signed performance Thu 2 April 7pm
I’ll be keeping an eye on this one. Any play brave enough to tackle fifty-five years of ordinary life is either very daft or very honest, and in Yorkshire we tend to prefer honest. If you see me outside Playhouse doors with a satchel and a notebook, don’t worry, I’m just making sure none of the memories escape.
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