British-Ghanaian siblings create new psychological drama for London stage
It starts with a death anniversary. It ends with a question: Grief has a smell.....Memory has a weight.....And some secrets should’ve stayed buried.
Beneath the Family Tree is a new theatre play produced by British-Ghanaian actor, playwright and theatre director Emmanuel Akwafo and co-written with his sister Emma Bakare.
It is directed by Prime Isaac and includes Rosemarie Akwafo, Emmanuel’s other sister, as its dramaturge (literary adviser or editor in a theatre, opera, or film company).
Inspired by the unsettling realism of Jordan Peele’s Get Out (2017), and Remi Weekes’ His House (2020), Beneath the Family Tree spirals from a “taut family drama into something truly sinister.”
When Kwame (Paul Chinkwednde), Esther (Christie Fewry), and Ama (Esther Amrah) return to their childhood home to honour the anniversary of their mother’s passing, grief quickly curdles into suspicion.
“The walls whisper. The past doesn’t line up. And unspoken traumas claw their way into the light,” said Emmanuel, founder of new theatre company No Name Creatives, which is producing the play.
The 60-minute play runs from 30 June to 5 July at Riverside Studios, London.
The cast
Esther Armah (Ama), also known as Queen E, is a British-Ghanaian actress and emerging storyteller.
She is a recent graduate with a BA in Theatre and Performance and a member of the National Youth Theatre.
Best known for her family-based comedy series Keeping Up with The Krimpongs, Esther brings humour and heart to stories exploring identity, belonging, faith, culture, and connection. Her stage credits include Residue, The Last of the Pelican Daughters, and God of Carnage.
Paul Chinkwende (Kwame) is an actor working across theatre and film.
He began his formal training at Kingdom Drama School in 2022 before further developing his craft with Maktub Arts Theatre Company. His stage credits include The 10 at Theatro Technis with Maktub Arts (as Josh Camara), directed by Wale Show; Prison Plaits at the Tower Theatre (as Myles), written by Shamila Sulaiman and directed by Aaliyah McKay; and the ALT Showcase at Brixton House, directed by Toby Clarke.
Christie Fewry (Esther) is an actor and filmmaker, and a recent graduate of Rose Bruford College’s BA Acting programme.
She made her professional stage debut in 2024 in the world premiere of The Great Privation: How to Flip Ten Cents Into a Dollar at Theatre503.
Her debut short film, Amina, was selected for nine film festivals—including the BAFTA and BIFA-qualifying Manchester Film Festival—and received an Honourable Mention at the New Renaissance Film Festival. On screen, Christie appears in the festival-recognised feature film White Guilt (2024) and the short Benchwarmers (2024).
Beyond acting and filmmaking, she explores themes of identity and spirituality through poetry, with her work published in Breadfruit Magazine as part of its Black British Writers Feature Project.
No Name Creatives
Under No Name Creatives, Emmanuel produces shows, concerts, plays, and musicals, including ‘Limp Wrist and the Iron Fist’, which ran in October 2024, and ‘The Blackprint Concert’, which is scheduled for 3 August at Phoenix Arts Club, London.
Emmanuel is an Olivier-nominated actor. He is known for his impactful performance in For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy, in Cinderella as the wicked stepmother Lady Jelly Bottom and as Lady Twerkey in Aladdin. He is currently playing Bottom in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Bridge Theatre, in London until 20 August.