Fire Embers Ash



by Hailey Mashburn





It’s the Second World War and the Soviet Union makes the unprecedented move to establish the first all-female aviation regiment. Fire Embers Ash tells the extraordinary true story of five of those fearless pioneers, who took to the skies and battled the Nazis. Known as Night Witches by the Germans, these women were intensely knowledgeable and would do whatever it took to defend their country.


Join this remarkable regiment of women as they bond in the face of adversity and battle amongst the stars.



CAST:

Henriette Laursen as Marina Raskova

Maria Masonou as Yevgeniya Rudneva

Yvonne Maxwell as Natalya Meklin

Stephanie Van Driesen as Nadezhda Popova

Maya Waghorn as Lydia Litvyak


Production Assistant - Jake Venet


Sound Design by Stephen Smith

​with thanks to Jack Garrett


Lighting Design by Stephen Smith

with technical support from Eddie Stephens


Projection, Costume and Set Design

by Stephen Smith


Music composed by Joseph Furey


Directed by Stephen Smith



HENRIETTE LAURSEN



playing Marina Roskova





(Pronouns She / Her)


Henriette Laursen is an actor, writer and director and educated from East15 MFA Acting in 2019. Henriette has been performing, writing and co-creating theatre pieces and scripts since 2016; some of them being Nordisk Gravøl at Teater Grob in 2019, and her one-person show called Going Straight to Gay… or something in-between which she performed in the UK and I Denmark between 2020-2023. In 2020 she directed Hurra for deg, Jenny! at Sennepen Scene in Oslo and starred in online performances such as an all-female Shakespearean production of Queen Lear and The Real produced by Teaterfaar 302, which was staged at The Cockpit Theatre in 2022.


Alongside theatre she’s worked on numerous short film productions such as The Right Reverend and feature films like Deadly Nightshade and The Mux. In May 2022 she did a Tedx-talk called How NOT to Portray Bisexuals in Media adressing bisexual representation in media and how it affects social structures and mental health.


In 2023 she wrote and performed critically acclaimed Gate Number 5 an innovative multimedia performance combining live theatre and film.



MARIA MASONOU



playing Yevgeniya Rudneva





(Pronouns She / Her)


Maria Masonou is an actress and dancer from Nicosia. She studied ballet and contemporary dance at Balletto di Toscana and Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Surrey. Later, she studied acting at Fourth Monkey Actor Training Company and in 2022 she became an acting member of National Youth Theatre.


She has performed in the short film Fragility of Language directed by Nefeli Kentoni which won first prize at Leeds International Film Festival Screendance Competition 2022.


She has performed with Fresh Target Theatre Ensemble in the production of Red Sky Morning directed by Paris Erotokritou. She has also performed with Amfidromo Chorotheatro in the productions En Crypto (Kypria International Festival 2022), Chaos (Poetry Moves 2023), Chameleon (23rd Cyprus Choreography Platform) and On the Move directed by Elena Christodoulidou.


She created and performed the solo piece InACTION at The Place as part of Resolution Festival in London. She has also played the role of Esmeralda in the digital theatre production of Notre Dame by Threedumb Theatre directed by Stephen Smith, which was nominated for an Off West End Theatre Award (OFFIE) in the category of Best Online Production.



YVONNE MAXWELL



playing Natalya Meklin





(Pronouns She / Her)


Yvonne is a Portsmouth and London based actor, originally from Teesside.


Her recent credits include Rapunzel and other roles in The Great Christmas Robbery with Hobgoblin Theatre; She is a regular actor at 878AD playing multiple characters; an award winning immersive experience in Winchester. She recently worked with Tag Live on a further two immersive experiences; Dr Steins Monsters Unleashed, and The Nightmare Project. In February she will be joining the cast of ShowBait for a second year, which is a showcase of theatrical talent in Portsmouth.


Yvonne trained at LIPA and featured in the original production of Fire Embers Ash playing Natalya Mellon. She is so excited to be working again on this insightful play, with Threedumb Theatre. She is especially passionate about working in historical drama, and particularly with a feminist take.



STEPHANIE VAN DRIESEN



playing Nadezhda Popova





(Pronouns She / Her)


Malaysian-born Stephanie Van Driesen has over 20 years of professional experience and success in the performing arts in South East Asia, having won numerous awards in theatre and musicals before moving to London to expand her career globally. She obtained an MFA in Acting from East 15 Acting School in 2017, and was subsequently endorsed as a Global Talent by Arts Council England.


Versatile onstage and onscreen as a singer, actor, presenter and voice over artist, her career highlights include roles such as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Emma in Harold Pinter's Betrayal (performed in 2 languages - English and Malay), as a soloist with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and being cast as the Malay language singing voice of Disney Asia's Rapunzel in Tangled: the TV series for 2 seasons.


Passionate about portraying strong female characters, Stephanie is excited to be part of the cast of Fire Embers Ash. She will also be seen starring in a touring production one-woman-musical debuting at the EdFringe later this year.



MAYA WAGHORN



playing Lydia Litvyak





(Pronouns They/Them)


Maya Waghorn is a multidisciplinary performer from Watford, Hertfordshire. Since graduating from a BA Drama and Theatre Arts degree from The University of Birmingham in 2022, Maya’s work and experience ranges from straight plays to musical theatre, dance theatre to immersive theatre and theatre for young audiences. Maya has also spent the past year training with award-winning hip hop dance company Boy Blue Entertainment, and made their solo concert debut at the Watford Fringe Festival last year.


Delving into Fire Embers Ash and playing a real historical figure is a new threshold for Maya, and is particularly poignant as Maya shares Russian/Ukrainian Jewish heritage with Litvyak. The opportunity to learn about ‘The Night Witches’ and work with very inspiring, brilliant team has made this process very special for them.


Theatre Credits: Herochild/Elf/Chef in The Polar Express Train Ride (Twisted Reality Productions, 2023), Dance Artist in Magical Minds (A Truefitt Collective Dance Theatre, 2023), Dani/Sarah in Navigating Margaret (ArtsUplift CIC, 2023), Dancer/Dance Artist (Curfew, Calico Theatre, 2022).


Training Credits: Mx Finch/Ensemble/Dance Captain in The Boy Who Sailed The Ocean In An Armchair (The National Youth Music Theatre, 2023), Guard/Dancer/Nurse in The Wonderful World of Dissocia (Drama and Theatre Arts @ University of Birmingham, 2021).



VIDEO GALLERY



MEET OUR PLAYWRIGHT: HAILEY MASHBURN



MEET THE CAST OF 'FiRE EMBERS ASH'



PRODUCTION PHOTOS








enquiries@threedumbtheatre.com