Always on
This project successfully funded on 3rd April 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
Iss Right!
Liverpool, United Kingdom
Aim
Longlisted for the Mustapha Matura Award - Iss Right! Bonnie and Clyde but Liverpool. Blood, the zoo, and a very bad Tuesday. Fringe bound!
ABOUT ME
Hi! My name is Hayley Schiffer. I’m a black working-class artist from north Liverpool based in London. Specifically I'm a 22 year old actor-playwright. I started writing at the Yard Theatre by accident after seeing my first play there 2 years ago because I got a free ticket. This is where it all started. ‘What We Crave’, which I co-wrote was staged at the Yard Theatre in April 2024. This is where my love for devising, writing and performing, plays from their foundation, was first nurtured. After this, I wrote my debut play 'Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire’, which has been performed at venues such as: Bush Theatre, Young Vic, Actors East Theatre and was ultimately programmed at The Union Theatre earlier last year in January. You can find the latest 5 star review of ‘Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire’ from North West End here. I starred, co-directed and self produced the piece. It was longlisted for the Mustapha Matura Award in 2024. I am the founder of Second Skin Theatre. I have trained with the Yard Theatre, National Youth Theatre, Hackney Showroom, the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama as part of their Groundwork programme, Arcola Theatre and now training with Almeida Theatre. I have just wrapped on a short film titled WAVES written and directed by BIFA-award winning Kosar Ali which will be premiering at the London Short film festival in Jan 2026, while developing a new play idea 'Iss Right!'
ABOUT THE SHOW
ISS RIGHT! - SYNOPSIS
They are not in love. They are in cahoots. Think Bonnie and Clyde but Liverpool. Thomas and Claudia. Everyone calls him Tom and everyone calls her Cloudy. Claudia and Tom. Tom and Claudia. Grew up on the same street. Went to the same primary school. Went to the same secondary. Their entire life has been right next to each other, on their street. Nature vs Nurture and all that- but funnily enough even though they’ve been right next to each other their whole lives, they are in completely different places. She’s in sixth form now, 17 about to be 18 and thinking of what’s next? University? He’s resitting his GCSEs. She’s lost something, and she’d give anything to have it back. He’s gaining something, and he’d do anything for it to fuck off. However, fuck that because just like the good old days, for now they are exactly in the same place again. (There’s a huge elephant in the room. No I meant literally, we are at the zoo). They are both sitting in a police station, covered in blood, in silence on a random Tuesday afternoon after a school trip to the zoo.I can’t tell you what they did soz, scousers don’t snitch. But they are in trouble. So, they do what scouse kids do best: fight, play, make-do with what they have, kiss and make up and distract each other. Iss right kidda x.
The play's journey so far:
- This play has received dramaturgy and interest from the New Works Associate at the Everyman Theatre, Tommo Fowler.
- The piece had a rehearsed reading at Hackney Showroom earlier last year in late August, and after this we received interest in the script from the new works department at the RSC and the Yard Theatre. Arcola Theatre and the National Theatre attended the reading.
- The piece has been longlisted for the Mustapha Matura Award 2025
- Shortlisted for the Charlie Harthill Fund 2026
- As you can see the script has a life and interest! We are now interested in taking the play to Fringe 2026
We are applying for everything we are eligible for but we need your help!
Yeah matttteeee, Fringe is expensive and this production is ambitious! 4 people! Second Skin Theatre is dedicated to inclusive casting, so we did an open casting call and engaged with the liverpool acting community to find the right actors for the script! Sitting in on acting classes, utilising acting communities like Liverpool Zope Actors, the Black Actors Collective, and the Everyman YEP alumni network to recognise local actors for this project.
TEAM:
Director: Issey Vogel - (384 Days, Pleasance Theatre)
Assistant Director: Christina Raisea Murphy - (award winning BFI Network Funded short film, Departure Point)
Co-Producers: Hayley Schiffer & Gabi McGurk
CAST:
Claudia: HAYLEY SCHIFFER
Tom: ALEX LEEDHAM
Man: AJ JONES
Woman: ALICYA EYO
Hayley Schiffer ('Claudia') is an actor-playwright from North Liverpool. She has trained with the National Youth Theatre, Hackney Showroom, Arcola Theatre, and is currently training with the Almeida Theatre. Her debut play was longlisted for the Mustapha Matura 2024 and programmed at the Union Theatre. Previous work of hers has been shown at the Yard Theatre, Bush Theatre studio, Lyric Hammersmith studio and Actors East Theatre. Hayley has recently just led` and wrapped on the short film WAVES, written and directed by BIFA award-winning Kosar Ali, which will premiere at the London Short Film Festival in January 2026.
Alex Leedham ('Tom') is an actor from North Liverpool who began in theatre and now his work spans film and theatre. He is known for Under Influence and Squeaky Bum’s Never Gonna Be One of the Lads, with the feature film Under the Influence set for release later this year.
AJ Jones ('Man') is an actor working across stage and screen. He was a Spotlight Prize Finalist in 2018 for his performance in Bottleneck by Luke Barnes. His upcoming screen work includes the Film4 short Chasing the Night and the feature film Baby Brother, winner of Best First Film at the Oldenburg Film Festival 2024, which has received international critical attention including coverage in The Hollywood Reporter.
Alicya Eyo ('Woman') is a Liverpool-born actor with a distinguished career spanning over two decades. She is widely known for her long-running role as Denny Blood in Bad Girls. Her television work includes Bad Girls, Emmerdale, HELP, Little Boy Blue, The Gathering (Channel 4), Silent Witness, and Casualty. Her stage credits include the Royal Court Theatre (The Shining, Cockroach Who?), Theatre 503 (In Event of Moone Disaster), the Everyman Theatre Liverpool (Top Girls), and Theatre Royal Nottingham.
Taking a show to the Edinburgh Fringe is the right next step. However, the increasingly unaffordable nature of the festival means that we will struggle to cover our basic venue and accommodation costs. Your support will also help contribute to help us fund rehearsal space, poster, venue hire, travel, and fair pay for our cast and creative team.
Supporting us would ensure that the Edinburgh Fringe remains a place for telling new stories.
If you like working-class people, theatre, Liverpool, scousers, football, good people, theatre, your nan's from Liverpool - then? PLEASE SUPPORT!
Any questions- send me an email: [email protected]
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made