DAUGHTER
BY ADAM LAZARUS
Here is a father who loves his daughter. You can tell from the way he held her when she was born after a difficult delivery; you can tell from the way he dances with her to her favourite songs; you can tell from the way he will do anything to protect her.
He's not going to apologise for every other little thing he's ever done. Who knows, you might have done them too…
Balancing humour and horror, Daughter is a darkly satirical monologue about fatherhood, love, and toxic masculinity. Told with unsettling charm, this story interrogates questions of culpability and complicity in our society. It examines the subtle and not-so-subtle ways we condone and encourage misogyny.
Welcome to Daughter: a show that exposes the hypocrisies and complexities of the human experience.
Transfer to London from its 2025 sold-out run at The Corbett Theatre, Loughton. This new production is led by a stellar cast and creative team of emerging talent from East 15 Acting School.
He's not going to apologise for every other little thing he's ever done. Who knows, you might have done them too…
Balancing humour and horror, Daughter is a darkly satirical monologue about fatherhood, love, and toxic masculinity. Told with unsettling charm, this story interrogates questions of culpability and complicity in our society. It examines the subtle and not-so-subtle ways we condone and encourage misogyny.
Welcome to Daughter: a show that exposes the hypocrisies and complexities of the human experience.
Transfer to London from its 2025 sold-out run at The Corbett Theatre, Loughton. This new production is led by a stellar cast and creative team of emerging talent from East 15 Acting School.
Show Information:
DATES: Tuesday February 3rd to Saturday February 7th, 2026
VENUE: The Lion and Unicorn Theatre
TICKETS: £15 General Admission | £13 Concession
WRITTEN BY: Adam Lazarus
DIRECTED BY: Alexandra Rizkallah
THE FATHER: Cristiano Benfenati
SOUND DESIGNER: Richard Feren
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR & MOVEMENT DIRECTOR: Sasha Tzu-Yin Hsu
INTIMACY DIRECTOR: Liz Kent
PRODUCER: Kay Brattan
RUNNING TIME: 75 Mins (No Interval)
https://app.lineupnow.com/event/daughter
Production Photos, The Corbett Theatre 2025
Photos by Andrew H Williams
Company Bios
Cristiano Benfenati, The Father
Cristiano Benfenati is an emerging London-based actor who has worked and trained across Italy, the United States, and England.
Theatre Credits: Murdering Mary (Hoxton Hall), Jane Eyre (The Bridewell Theatre), Peter & the Starcatcher (Corbett Theatre), Chemin de Fer (Corbett Theatre), Henry VI pt.2 (The Globe Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing (Teatro del Cigno), Love Parade (New York Theatre Festival), On How to Be a Monster (The Tank NY).
Film and TV Credits: Mafia Wars (dir. Scott Windhauser. Amazon Prime), God is Busy Somewhere Else (dir. Edoardo Vitaletti).
Training: MFA Acting, East15 (with Distinction). BFA Acting, Tisch School of the Arts at NYU (Drama Award for Outstanding Achievement in Studio).
Other: thank you to my mom, Marina, my dad, Gabriele, my sister, Sofia, my grandma, Graziella, and Taylor. To my friends from all the places I’ve had the luck to call home, you’re always on my mind. To my DnD parties for keeping me sharp. Follow me @cristianobenfenati
Theatre Credits: Murdering Mary (Hoxton Hall), Jane Eyre (The Bridewell Theatre), Peter & the Starcatcher (Corbett Theatre), Chemin de Fer (Corbett Theatre), Henry VI pt.2 (The Globe Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing (Teatro del Cigno), Love Parade (New York Theatre Festival), On How to Be a Monster (The Tank NY).
Film and TV Credits: Mafia Wars (dir. Scott Windhauser. Amazon Prime), God is Busy Somewhere Else (dir. Edoardo Vitaletti).
Training: MFA Acting, East15 (with Distinction). BFA Acting, Tisch School of the Arts at NYU (Drama Award for Outstanding Achievement in Studio).
Other: thank you to my mom, Marina, my dad, Gabriele, my sister, Sofia, my grandma, Graziella, and Taylor. To my friends from all the places I’ve had the luck to call home, you’re always on my mind. To my DnD parties for keeping me sharp. Follow me @cristianobenfenati
Creative
Alexandra Rizkallah, Director
Alexandra Rizkallah is an award-winning Lebanese-Canadian Director and Dramaturg. She has worked and trained across Canada, England, Poland, and France, dedicated to unravelling the fullest possibilities of storytelling.
Theatre Credits (Selected): Houses Apart (The Cockpit); Much Ado About Nothing (Summer Shakespeare); Heist, Homes: A Refugee Story (Grand Theatre); Heist (Citadel Theatre): Jealousy, My Brother (Theatre of the Beat); Love’s Labour’s Lost (Stratford Festival); Boundaries, Hopscotch (First Steps Theatre); Good Old Days (One Four One); Sticky Fingers: A Musical (OKTC).
Film Credits (Selected): Writer/Director of All I See (official selection of Lift-Off Global).
Training: MFA Theatre Directing (East 15), BSc (Western University).
Awards: Jean Gascon Director’s Award, 2024 Guthrie Awards.
Upcoming: Othello (Stratford Festival of Canada).
Online: @alexandra.riz_
Other: Thank you to my family, friends, and mentors. All my love and thanks, Mom!
Theatre Credits (Selected): Houses Apart (The Cockpit); Much Ado About Nothing (Summer Shakespeare); Heist, Homes: A Refugee Story (Grand Theatre); Heist (Citadel Theatre): Jealousy, My Brother (Theatre of the Beat); Love’s Labour’s Lost (Stratford Festival); Boundaries, Hopscotch (First Steps Theatre); Good Old Days (One Four One); Sticky Fingers: A Musical (OKTC).
Film Credits (Selected): Writer/Director of All I See (official selection of Lift-Off Global).
Training: MFA Theatre Directing (East 15), BSc (Western University).
Awards: Jean Gascon Director’s Award, 2024 Guthrie Awards.
Upcoming: Othello (Stratford Festival of Canada).
Online: @alexandra.riz_
Other: Thank you to my family, friends, and mentors. All my love and thanks, Mom!
Sasha Tzu Yin Hsu, Associate Director & Movement Director
Sasha Tzu Yin Hsu is an emerging director and intercultural physical performer who has worked and trained in Taiwan, the UK, and Shanghai.
Theatre Credits (Selected): No Beauty, Just The Beast (Camden People’s Theatre); The Things We Left 2.0 (Taipei Performing Arts Center); Der Steppenwolf (Wellspring Theatre); The day I met prince (Miaoli Zhongzheng Hall); Caligula (Wan Sha Performing Arts Centre); The Unnamed (Wu Zhen Theatre Festival).
Training: MFA Theatre Directing, East 15 (candidate). BA Drama and Theatre Arts. EX-Theatre Asia, “Theatre of Essence”: Asian (Indian) style of body and movement training.
Upcoming: Return to the Forest (Sadler’s Wells, Factory International, Blackpool Grand).
Online: @sashaty_hsu
Theatre Credits (Selected): No Beauty, Just The Beast (Camden People’s Theatre); The Things We Left 2.0 (Taipei Performing Arts Center); Der Steppenwolf (Wellspring Theatre); The day I met prince (Miaoli Zhongzheng Hall); Caligula (Wan Sha Performing Arts Centre); The Unnamed (Wu Zhen Theatre Festival).
Training: MFA Theatre Directing, East 15 (candidate). BA Drama and Theatre Arts. EX-Theatre Asia, “Theatre of Essence”: Asian (Indian) style of body and movement training.
Upcoming: Return to the Forest (Sadler’s Wells, Factory International, Blackpool Grand).
Online: @sashaty_hsu
Liz Kent, Intimacy Director
Liz Kent (she/her) is an actor, musician, and intimacy director originally from New Jersey, USA, now living in London.
Intimacy Direction Credits (Selected): Beat Poetry, Jane Eyre, Swallow, Daughter (East 15 Acting School), Sunk Into The Earth (Central Film School), Lesbians of Forest Gate (The Source Stratford), Things to Say When I See You Again (The Water Rats) FIASCO, MadreMonte (Rosemary Branch)
Training: MFA Acting (International), East 15 Acting School. BA & BM in Dramatic Art & Vocal Performance from UNC Chapel Hill.
Other: Thanks to her family, given and chosen, for their love. www.liz-kent.com
Intimacy Direction Credits (Selected): Beat Poetry, Jane Eyre, Swallow, Daughter (East 15 Acting School), Sunk Into The Earth (Central Film School), Lesbians of Forest Gate (The Source Stratford), Things to Say When I See You Again (The Water Rats) FIASCO, MadreMonte (Rosemary Branch)
Training: MFA Acting (International), East 15 Acting School. BA & BM in Dramatic Art & Vocal Performance from UNC Chapel Hill.
Other: Thanks to her family, given and chosen, for their love. www.liz-kent.com
Kay Brattan, Producer
Kay Brattan is a Toronto-born, London-based theatre director, dramaturg, producer, and actor. A graduate of Humber College’s Theatre Performance program and East 15 Acting School’s MA Theatre Directing (Distinction), Kay’s international practice spans Canada, the UK, and Europe. Her work focuses on new writing, adaptations, and bold reimaginings of classical texts. Kay is Co-Founder of how.dare.collective, creators of the Toronto Fringe hit Lysistrata (Best Ensemble Nominee, My Entertainment World Awards), and the current Artistic Director of Little Lion Theatre Company, dedicated to sharing Canadian theatre with UK audiences.Through her work, Kay continues to champion imaginative, inclusive, and socially resonant theatre that celebrates bold voices and reimagines the classics for contemporary audiences.