This month, Utopia Theatre presents, Son of the Nile (A play for young people and all those young at heart) by Afeif Ismail. It will be live streamed on Sunday 25 April 2021 at 6pm, via Zoom.
Directed by Mojisola Elufowoju.
Hosted by educator and playwright Dr Anita Franklin.
Afeif Ismail’s SON OF THE NILE is a magical, hilarious and moving play set on the banks of the great River Nile in Sudan. The story is told by the River itself, and what follows is a thrilling, roaring story of a Chief’s broken promise with the beautiful and just crocodile Queen of The Nile and the attempts to put this crime right.
CEO and Artistic Director, Mojisola Elufowoju FRSA, said: “Having read a number of plays from the West, South and East of Africa, I was in search of plays from North Africa and came across Son of the Nile by Afeif Ismail, co-transcreated form Arabic by Vivienne Ismail. I was pleasantly surprised by the plot structure and how similar the story is to a number of folktales that I read as a young person growing up in Nigeria. I was struck by the rarity of plays from North Africa translated into English and thought that this particular piece will work really well read online. The story is epic and spiced with wry humour that invites us to laugh at humanity and ourselves and it is suitable for all ages”.
The cast includes: Gabriel Akamo; Ayo Oyebade; Maynard Eziashi; Tayo Aluko; Ruth Pitter; Yoma Smith; Estella Daniels; Oseloka Obi; Caleb Obediah; Mojisola Elufowoju; Christelle Pellecuer; Rachel Da Gerang; Marilyn Nadebe; Tatenda Matsvai and Madeline Appiah.
Previous readings
Previous readings included ‘And the Girls in their Sunday Dresses‘ by Zakes Mda and The Black Hermit by Kenyan playwright, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. available via the Utopia Theatre streaming. Info: https://streaming.utopiatheatre.co.uk/productions
About Utopia Theatre
Utopia Theatre is a producing company formed in 2012 to create for the British and international stage, exceptional world class African theatre with imaginative flair. We create old and new plays and re-imagine classics in a way that demonstrates their contemporary relevance and appeal to a new audience and regular theatregoers. The company is dedicated to demonstrating the rich cultural heritage of Africa’s theatre canon, and in so doing, dispel stereotypes and encourage authentic voices from the African Diaspora.
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