The young and the seasoned theatre-makers creating London's next fringe hits

Summer at the Circle & Star Theatre brings acclaimed new writing and Steve Furst's latest one-man show

By Brigit Grant June 29, 2026, 10:29 pm Edit

For more than four decades, Brigit Grant has covered news and celebrity exclusives. As Executive Editor (Features) and Editor of Life magazine, she combines award-winning journalism with a longstanding passion for animal welfare, particularly dogs.

Let’s not start by trying to guess who Anoushka “Anni” Cowan’s mother is. Or her father, for that matter. Instead, focus on what she and creative partner Elijah Lifton are doing.

The pair have founded Marigold Productions, a company dedicated to creating bold, character-led stories for stage and screen, and their first play, 2.36, is returning after an acclaimed Camden Fringe debut. Inspired by Succession, The White Lotus and Saltburn, the comedy-drama explores family, identity, inheritance and the stories families tell themselves, following siblings Josh and Keira Carrington on an ancestral trip that uncovers long-buried secrets.

Creating a convincing sibling relationship was no small feat for Cowan and Lifton, who are both only children, yet critics have praised both the writing and performances and their work has attracted the support of leading theatre figures, including playwright Richard Bean, actor Christopher Biggins and actress Anna Josse. That backing, however, was earned rather than inherited. Anni is the 19-year-old daughter of actor and writer Tracy-Ann Oberman and music producer Rob Cowan. but while she has grown up surrounded by the industry, she is determined to carve out an identity of her own through original writing and producing.

The company’s next stop is the Circle & Star Theatre, where The Marigold Sessions will introduce audiences to its work on 5 July before 2.36 returns in an expanded form from 8–10 September. The north London venue, under the artistic direction of Steve Furst, has quickly established itself as a champion of new writing while also producing ambitious work of its own.

Steve Furst as Fagin (credit Justin Bovington)

Furst takes centre stage on 14, 15 and 17 July in Fagin – Hero or Villain? Following his acclaimed performance as Fagin in the recent Oliver! production at Leeds Playhouse, he has written and performs this one-man show exploring Dickens’ most controversial character, the accusations of antisemitism surrounding him, the real-life figure believed to have inspired Dickens’ creation and the evolution of Fagin from page to stage.