Inua Ellams' award-winning play about an unlikely friendship between an enslaved woman and her former mistress in pre-colonial Nigeria.
Once Upon a Time in Sokoto is at the Oxford Playhouse this week, running from Tuesday 13 to Saturday 17 October. It's written by Inua Ellams and directed by Roy Alexander Weiss, with Adeola Yemitan as Nafisa, Antonia Layiwola as Zinari, Bayo Gbadamosi as Hadiru, and Will Atiomo as Yusef.
The play tells the story of an unlikely friendship between an enslaved woman and her former mistress in mid-to-late 1800s pre-colonial Nigeria, set against the events leading to the creation of Nigeria and the Sokoto Caliphate. It won the 2024 Alfred Fagon Award and was commissioned and produced by Fuel. It's also the inaugural Touring Together production, a nationwide touring initiative led by China Plate and Fuel that has staged the show at partner venues including Brighton Dome, Leeds Playhouse, Royal & Derngate, Warwick Arts Centre, and Coventry. The Oxford Playhouse run is supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Ellams is a Nigeria-born writer, an internationally celebrated poet and playwright who has published four poetry collections and written plays such as Barber Shop Chronicles, The 14th Tale, and a retelling of Three Sisters. This is his latest to reach the city, and it's the final stop of the week's run.
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On the final day, Saturday 17 October, there are two performances: a matinee at 2:30pm and an evening show at 7:30pm. If you're planning to go, that's the day to keep in mind.
