A Young Vic Film
Reclaiming history for women through humour and a fake moustache, Jenny Rainsford stars in Bea Roberts’ monologue about Sir Francis Drake, and what it was like growing up in his shadow as a young woman. With a wry comedic nod, the film acknowledges the pitch-black underbelly of imperialist English history.
Sir F. Mother Fucking Drake (Plymouth)
Cast & Creatives
Written by Bea Roberts
Starring Jenny Rainsford
Director Rodney Charles
Producers Rodney Charles & Nadia Latif
Line Producer Nick Thompson
Executive Producers Kwame Kwei-Armah & Despina Tsatsas
Director of Photography & Editor Michael Edo Keane
Casting Director Charlotte Sutton CDG
Camera Assistant Claudette Fruchier
Sound Recordist Tom Anderson
Hair and Make up Ian Grummitt
Jerwood Assistant Director Floriana Dezou
Assistant Editor Yasmin C. Rams
Plymouth Collaborator Alix Harris
Bea Roberts is currently under commission with the National Theatre, English Touring Theatre, and The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in association with The Royal Court. Her stage adaptation of THE BORROWERS will be the Christmas 2018 production at the Tobacco Factory. Bea’s television adaptation of her play INFINITY POOL is currently in development with Hartswood Films. THE C-WORD CLUBHOUSE – A CLIMATE CHANGE CABARET was developed with The Coterie in association with Sky Arts in 2018. Bea’s adaptation of LITTLE MERMAID was the Christmas show for 2017 at the Egg theatre in Bath, and won Best Play for Children & Young People at the 2018 UK Theatre Awards. Her one-woman show, INFINITY POOL had a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Festival in 2016. She was a finalist in the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for AND THEN COME THE NIGHTJARS and was awarded the J.B.Priestly Award for a young writer of promise by the Royal Literary Fund. In November 2014 Bea was announced as the joint-winner of the inaugural Theatre 503 Playwriting Award for AND THEN COME THE NIGHTJARS, which was produced with Theatre 503 and the Bristol Old Vic the following year, and had a UK tour in 2016.
Jenny Rainsford Theatre includes The Tempest, Love for Love (Ian Charleson Award Commendation), Queen Anne (RSC); The Rivals (Arcola); Microcosm (Soho); The Little Black Book (Park); The Seagull (Headlong); No Quarter (Royal Court); Straight (Sheffield Crucible/Bush - Off West End Awards Best Actress Nomination); The Importance of Being Earnest (Rose Theatre Kingston); The Double Dealer (Orange Tree Theatre)
TV includes Finding Joy, Fleabag, The Smoke, Law and Order UK and Da Vinci’s Demons.
Films include The Favourite, About Time, Prometheus and The Death of a Farmer.
Radio includes John Gabriel Borkman.
Rodney Charles’ first screenplay won the Greater London Arts Advanced Film and Video Award. The resulting film Once Upon a Time was broadcast by BBC television and screened at the Venice Film Festival and FESPACO winning achievement awards. His screenplay Reclaimed won the BHERC screenwriting award.
In 2008 Rodney debut feature as Writer, Director and Producer, The Disciple opened at the BFM Film Festival to a sell-out UK premier at the BFI South Bank. The Disciple also won Best New Director honor at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles. Later, Rodney directed the short film African Cowboy which was nominated for five Namibian Academy Awards. In 2016 he premiered the documentary feature In Exile at TIFF.
Rodney is also an alumni of several international writer/director labs, including the BingerLab (Amsterdam) and B3 Media Lab w/ Film 4 (London). As a film actor Rodney has collaborated with notable directors such as Wim Wenders, Mike Figgis and Antoine Fuqua. His numerous film and television appearances have been balanced with a career as a writer and international model resulting in Rodney’s exposure to diverse global cultures and an acute understanding of how film, imagery and advertising impact on self-awareness and identity globally. This has heavily influenced his unique and original collection of trans-cultural, internationally relevant feature screenplays. Rodney is also the Vice President of the African Artists’ Association, a Hollywood based non-profit organization with members internationally and has spoken on film industry panels at the Berlinale/EFM, IFFR, Diversity in Cannes, PAFF and TIFF.
Special Thanks
The Young Vic wishes to thank: Ben Cooper, Costume Studio and Jurys Inn Plymouth.
