The first production photos are out for Once Upon a Time in Sokoto, the world premiere of Inua Ellams's new play. It is at Royal & Derngate in Northampton until 10 October, then tours the UK into February 2027.
A first look at Once Upon a Time in Sokoto on stage. The pictures, by Tristram Kenton, show the four-strong company on a set of timber platforms and hanging curtains of blue thread. The play is the opening production of Touring Together, and its Northampton run is the first stop of seven.
After Royal & Derngate it moves to Oxford in mid-October, then on to Nottingham, Coventry, Leeds and Brighton before the end of November. A two-week stay at Bristol Old Vic in February 2027 closes the tour.
- 28 September - 10 October 2026: Royal & Derngate, Northampton
- 13-17 October 2026: Oxford Playhouse, Oxford
- 29-31 October 2026: Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham
- 5-7 November 2026: Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry
- 11-14 November 2026: Leeds Playhouse, Leeds
- 17-21 November 2026: Brighton Dome, Brighton
- 2-13 February 2027: Bristol Old Vic, Bristol
The story is set in the years that led to the founding of Nigeria. An enslaved woman and the man who once owned her build an unlikely bond, and it holds across their differences of faith, culture and heritage when new enemies close in. The script won Ellams the Alfred Fagon Award.
Adeola Yemitan plays Nafisa, with Antonia Layiwola as Zinari, Bayo Gbadamosi as Hadiru and Will Atiomo as Yusef. Roy Alexander Weise, whose credits include Nine Night and ROBOTA, directs. Earlier plays by Ellams include Barber Shop Chronicles and Three Sisters.
Fuel co-commissioned and developed the play with the National Theatre, and produces it for Touring Together. The new initiative is led by Fuel and China Plate with five partner venues: Brighton Dome, Leeds Playhouse, Oxford Playhouse, Royal & Derngate and Warwick Arts Centre. The idea is one new mid-scale play round all of them this autumn and again next: Fuel goes first, and a China Plate production follows in autumn 2027. We covered the plan when the tour was announced in September.
