The Afronauts

The Afronauts opens at the Royal Court Theatre on Saturday 14 November, running through to Saturday 19 December. It's a new play by Ryan Calais Cameron, who also co-directed it with Monique Touko, and it's the final production of the Royal Court's 70th anniversary season.

The story is based on the Zambian Space Programme, set in 1964 as the country celebrates its independence and the world's great powers are all eyeing the moon. It follows Edward Mukuka Nkoloso, a schoolteacher who gathers a group of misfit dreamers and trains them at his improvised space academy to become Africa's first astronauts. It's a true-ish tale that blends humour with emotional depth and political sharpness, touching on the legacy of colonialism, the pressures of nation-building and the right to aspire to something extraordinary. On stage, a theatrical language of ritual-like training sequences and makeshift props evokes the heat and dust of the Zambian landscape.

It's an international cast led by Lucian Msamati, with Ama Qamata making her UK stage debut. The play was commissioned through the Royal Court's Genesis Next Generation programme, with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

It runs in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court, Sloane Square, London SW1W 8AS. Tickets are £15 to £74.50, with access performances priced £15 to £64.50. Every Monday, tickets are £15, on sale from 9am on the day of the performance. Press night is Monday 23 November.