Big Life

Paul Sirett is an award-winning playwright, dramaturg, musician and teacher. His theatrical works include the Olivier-nominated The Big Life (with Paul Joseph) at Theatre Royal Stratford East & West End, Rat Pack Confidential at Nottingham Playhouse & West End, and Come Dancing (with Ray Davies) at Stratford East. Other works include Bad Blood Blues (Theatrescience and Stratford East) and Worlds Apart (Stratford East), Reasons to be Cheerful (Graeae Theatre Company), and plays for Soho Theatre; Polka Theatre; Yellow Earth Theatre; Live Theatre, Newcastle; New Wolsey, Ipswich; Dukes, Lancaster; and the Edinburgh Fringe. Awards include, Best Off-West End Musical, Whatsonstage; Best Play, Pearson; Best Production, City Life; Best Writer & Best Play, New York International Radio Festival; and nominations for TMA, Evening Standard and Olivier awards. Paul has also worked extensively as a dramaturg for companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Soho Theatre, Ambassador Theatre Group, Trafalgar Entertainment, the Royal Court, and the National Theatre. Tameka Empson is an actor, writer, comedian, and voice-over artist. As a television actor, Tameka is known for her role of Kimberly Fox in the BBC soap EastEnders, and has won five Inside Soap Awards, and the British Soap Award for Best Comedy Performance in 2022. Tameka wrote and starred in the original production of The Big Life, for which she received an Olivier nomination. Tameka also co-wrote and performed in the hit hidden camera shows 3 Non Blondes, and wrote a red button spin-off show for her character in EastEnders called Kimberley’s Palace.