Standing at the Sky’s Edge is a celebration of strength and solidarity across six decades, set to the irresistible sounds of Richard Hawley. Written by Chris Bush (ROCK / PAPER / SCISSORS) and directed by Sheffield Theatres’ Artistic Director, Robert Hastie (Guys and Dolls), the production is a love letter to Sheffield and ode to the iconic Park Hill Estate.

Actors Rachael Wooding, Faith Omole, Alex Young and Maimuna Memon talk to us about how they will take on this epic.

• Please introduce yourself and tell us a little more about who you are playing. What makes you excited to take on this particular character?

Rachael: Hi, I’m Rachael Wooding and I play Rose Stanhope. Rose is a wonderful character, she’s witty and fun and the rock of her family. She supports everyone with a quiet strength and shows incredible resilience through extremely tough times.

Faith: Hi, my name is Faith and I’m playing Joy. I love this character with my whole heart. She is a force to be reckoned with, she’s passionate and very complicated. She’s running from a country that is about to be ravaged by civil war when she lands in beautiful Sheffield.

Alex: Hi my name’s Alex Young and I’m playing Poppy. Poppy is in the contemporary story line. She’s a Londoner who runs from recent heartbreak to Sheffield where she buys one of the newly developed Urban Splash apartments in Park Hill. She’s someone who never quite says what’s she is feeling, keeping all of her heartache and rage pent up, so she’s like a pressure cooker. And the result of that tension comes out in both comedic and dramatic stuff that is really exciting to play.

Maimuna: I’m Maimuna and I’m playing Nikki. Nikki is a big ball of energy, unable to filter herself, and that makes her so fun to play. She’s also completely full to the brim with love, and her and Poppy’s relationship is a really special one I think.

• You appeared in the show’s premiere back in 2019, how does it feel to be back in Sheffield? Is this your first time back since SATSE last time?

Maimuna: It feels incredible to be back. The city of Sheffield and Sheffield Theatres are so special. I feel so at home here. I’m so glad after such a short run of the show last time, we can bring the show back to the Sheffield people for a longer run. It touched so many people. I feel so very lucky to be back doing this show. It’s a piece that serves its community, that is beautifully multi-cultural, and that is full of heart and promise. We need that now more than ever. It is also a damn good new British musical, which we don’t get that often.

Alex: I love Sheffield and the Crucible, it’s my favourite theatre in the country and I’m so pleased to be back again. Since Sky’s Edge, I’ve been the luckiest, getting to play Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, Brutus in Coriolanus and Amalia Balash in She Loves Me all at the Crucible. It really feels like my second home. The people are a second family, and I couldn’t be happier about that.

• Chris Bush wrote the plays for performance in 2019. A lot has happened since then – has the show changed at all?

Faith: There have been little changes but because she’s telling what spans over generations, fortunately (and unfortunately at times) everything feels really relevant. We seem to echo ourselves as a world and hopefully people notice that when they watch Chris’ INCREDIBLE show.

Maimuna: The show has changed a little bit, but not much. The timeframe is basically the same, but we now finish the play just before the pandemic begins, which I think is a really clever touch by Chris, because the audience finish the show knowing more about what’s to come than the characters do.

• The show has been described before as a love letter to Sheffield. Do audiences need to be from Sheffield to follow the story?

Rachael: I don’t think so, otherwise most stories told I wouldn’t be able to follow! It’s set in Sheffield and really is a love letter to it, but you could be anywhere to feel the love through the story. However, there will be a real nostalgia for people who know and love the city.

Alex: Oh no. Not at all. I think it’s full of gorgeous Easter Eggs for locals but it’s absolutely a national story. It’s about humanity, which sounds a bit glib and vague, but it really is a piece about the human condition, how we relate to each other, and to the place that we live, what we inherit, what we learn and how we love.

• What excites you most about working on Standing at the Sky’s Edge?

Faith: The music: Richard Hawley is a storytelling genius. The cast: OH they are amazing. I’m in awe constantly. Joy and Jimmy: I love them. Seriously, everyone included is so great.

Maimuna: So much! It is a brilliant show, with an unbelievably talented and collaborative creative team, cast and band. The feeling of community in the show really does spread into the ethos of the company. There is such a warm and supportive vibe. I am so excited about getting to sing ‘Open Up Your Door’ - my favourite song to have ever sung in a musical. And to play Nikki, it is honestly one of the most exciting roles I have ever been able to play. I can’t wait to share this show with Sheffield again and also bring it to the National Theatre. I think it is so important that London is going to get to see this incredible story that celebrates The North.

• Finally, why should people come to watch the show?

Rachael: It is honestly the best thing I’ve done. It will break your heart and put it back together again. It’s very rare to be part of something that in equal parts is so incredible. Chris Bush’s writing, combined with Richard Hawley’s music, so beautifully arranged by Tom Deering, performed by these glorious actors, guided by Robert Hastie, just shouldn’t be missed.

Faith: There’s nothing else like it, in the best way. This is ground-breaking and epic storytelling.

Alex: Because I honestly think it’s a really important piece. It speaks to our times without preaching. It’s hilarious and quietly heart-breaking. Full of incredible songs and a wonderful, universal story. It’s the best thing I’ve ever been a part of, and I’m so proud of it.

Maimuna: This show is a beautiful, heart-breaking and heart-warming piece of art, celebrating community through many generations, many backgrounds, and many life experiences. There is something in this show for everyone. And the music takes your breath away. It truly represents the very best of new British Musical Theatre.

Standing at the Sky's Edge runs in the Crucible from Saturday 10 December 2022 – Saturday 21 January 2023. Find out more and book your seats below!