• NEW PRODUCTION FROM DEBRIS STEVENSON (CYRANO / POET IN DA CORNER) PLAYS AT SHEFFIELD THEATRES IN 2026, DEVELOPED THROUGH THEATRE CENTRE'S ACCLAIMED FUTURE MAKERS PROCESS FOLLOWING INITIAL WORKSHOPS AT NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE’S STORYFEST IN 2024
  

• EXPLOSIVE NEW SHOW EXPLORES NEURODIVERGENCE & SIBLING RIVALRY WITH AN ORIGINAL GRIME SOUNDTRACK
  

• TOURING TO THEATRES IN SCARBOROUGH, LEEDS, LONDON AND CRAWLEY, AND TO SECONDARY SCHOOLS NATIONALLY, FOLLOWING SHEFFIELD DATES
  

• TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT SHEFFIELDTHEATRES.CO.UK
  
  

Acclaimed writer of The RSC’s Cyrano de Bergerac and The Royal Court’s Poet in da Corner and Theatre Centre Resident Writer, Debris Stevenson presents a new play, My Brother’s a Genius at Sheffield Theatres from Wed 28 Jan – Sat 14 Feb 2026.

My Brother’s a Genius is a new production examining learning to fall, fail and find ways to fly, expressed through poetry, music, and movement. The story centres on twins Daisy and Luke, who are navigating life in a high-rise estate, where their ambitions and self-doubt start to collide. Exploring neurodivergence, sibling rivalry, and the weight of expectations, the play explores whether the twins' bond and shared dreams will launch them up together or crash them apart.

An energetic two-hander, Debris’ lyrical writing blends poetry and grime to create immediacy and accessibility, capturing the intensity and emotion of young people’s experiences. It is directed by Theatre Centre’s Artistic Director, Eleanor Manners, with an original soundtrack from Jammz.

Debris Stevenson is a Grime poet and is collaborating with MC and record producer Jammz for sound design and composing an original soundtrack, speaking to the themes of the show through Grime. Stevenson says:“I learnt to read and write through Grime music because it was an introduction to language through the body, the music and the word. I am not a writer who hides in their cave - I like to develop words in spaces with people and their physicalities and rhythms.”

The idea for My Brother’s a Genius was seeded by conversations around what it felt like for Stevenson to have a brother who was branded a ‘genius’, and how her dyslexia meant she couldn’t read until she was 11, which she says - ‘branded her an idiot’. The show unpacks the complex feelings this brings about, from a fictional and truthful perspective and how the twins in the play manage their ambitions.

Award-winning theatre maker and poet Jess Senanayake plays ‘Daisy’, and ‘Luke’ is played by London based stage and screen actor Tyrese Walters, and it is directed by Eleanor Manners. The production’s creative team are Designer Erin C Guan, Sound Designer & Composer Jammz, Lighting Designer Jess Brigham, Movement Associate Emily Corless, Production Manager Herbe Walmsley and Artwork by Rebecca Pitt.

My Brother’s a Genius has been developed into a full production through Theatre Centre’s Future Makers process, which enables conversations with young people in schools and community groups across the UK. My Brother's a Genius has been commissioned for full production by Theatre Centre from an initial National Youth Theatre (NYT) seed commission, and is co-produced with Sheffield Theatres and National Youth Theatre.

Debris Stevenson says: “Despite living in very difficult times, young people have exceptional minds. I hope this show can bring us closer to understanding how we best meet the needs of all young people, to understand each other and ourselves and imagine a future better than our present. We have a long way to go, but these young people also give me hope. Change starts in our imaginations. In the area I grew up in, people made music out of wooden decks and PlayStations. That sort of innovation connected you with other people. I feel like that's the kind of energy and playfulness that was in the room while we created the show.”

Eleanor Manners, Artistic Director of Theatre Centre, said: “Debris show ‘My Brother’s a Genius’ builds on Theatre Centre’s powerful work exploring subjects that matter to young people today. Neurodivergence is central to this production, both in its story and in the creative team behind it, offering young audiences the chance to feel seen, heard, and inspired. Something we often forget as adults is that when you're a young person, you're experiencing things for the first time. Therefore, things often do feel dramatic, and they do feel big, and I think Debris’s writing encapsulates that beautifully. At a time of funding cuts and isolation, Theatre Centre’s commitment to bringing live, creative experiences into schools and theatres feels more vital than ever.”

Sheffield Theatres Artistic Director Elizabeth Newman said: “We’re thrilled to be co-producing My Brother’s a Genius with Theatre Centre and National Youth Theatre. It is a vivid, powerful piece from the brilliant creative team. On a personal level I am over the moon to have a new work by Debris Stevenson in the Playhouse and being directed by Eleanor Manners. Eleanor’s fresh vision as Theatre Centre's new Artistic Director brings extraordinary energy to this production, and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with audiences.”

My Brother’s a Genius opens at Sheffield Theatres’ Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse from Wed 28 Jan – Sat 14 Feb 2026 followed by a UK tour to Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough (5-6 Mar), Leeds Playhouse (14 Mar), National Youth Theatre, London (19-21 Mar) and County Mall, Crawley (27-28 Mar).

Daisy and Luke are twins navigating life in a high-rise estate, where ambition and self-doubt collide. Both twins have labels thrust upon them: Daisy the “idiot” and Luke the “genius”. But will their bond and shared dream of flying launch them up together or crash them apart?

Tickets are on sale now below.