Once Upon a Time in Sokoto
Lyric Hammersmith
- Opens: Tuesday, 13 April 2027 -
Booking until: Saturday, 8 May 2027
Once Upon a Time in Sokoto description
Once Upon a Time in Sokoto is a family drama by Inua Ellams about an unlikely friendship formed in the decades before Nigeria came into being.
The play tells the story of an enslaved woman and her former master, whose friendship overcomes differences in faith, culture and heritage when they face new enemies together. Set against the events that led to the creation of Nigeria, it moves through four decades of pre-colonial history in the region of the Sokoto Caliphate, touching on the economics of slavery and the struggles of women.
Winner of the 2024 Alfred Fagon Award, the play was co-commissioned and developed by Fuel with the National Theatre. It received its world premiere at Royal & Derngate, Northampton, in 2026 as the first production of Touring Together, a national touring initiative led by Fuel and China Plate, before touring the UK. Its run at the Lyric Hammersmith, presented by Fuel, is the play's London premiere. Reviewing the premiere, Northants Uncovered wrote that "Writer Inua Ellams' poetic script is a major highlight, punctuating the stage with striking, painterly imagery", and The Reviews Hub called it "an essential story, and one British theatre doesn't tell often enough".
Inua Ellams is a Nigerian-born poet, playwright and performer whose plays include Barber Shop Chronicles and Three Sisters for Fuel and the National Theatre, The Half God of Rainfall and The 14th Tale, which won a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2009. The production is directed by Roy Alexander Weise, joint artistic director of the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester from 2019 to 2023, whose credits include Nine Night at the National Theatre and in the West End, The Hot Wing King and Master Harold and the Boys.
Book tickets for the London premiere of a story of friendship, faith and history in pre-colonial Nigeria.
