Once Upon a Time in Sokoto to be produced at Royal & Derngate as part of new multi-year partnership

Written by Inua Ellams (perhaps best known for acclaimed production Barber Shop Chronicles) and directed by Ola Ince, Once Upon a Time in Sokoto will have its world premiere at Royal & Derngate, Northampton from Monday 28 September to Saturday 10 October. It will then tour to partner venues Oxford Playhouse, Warwick Arts Centre, Leeds Playhouse and Brighton Dome, as well as to Nottingham Playhouse and Bristol Old Vic.

The Alfred Fagon Award-winning Once Upon a Time in Sokoto tells the epic story of a beautiful but unlikely friendship forged between a slave and her former master. Differences in faith, culture and heritage are overcome in the face of new enemies, in a gripping family drama set against the backdrop of events leading to the creation of Nigeria.

“There are powers that bind the world together, softer than spirits yet stronger than stone, that tie the river to the tree, the tree to rain clouds, rain clouds to the land, and people to each other.”

Led by China Plate and Fuel, Touring Together is a brand new nationwide touring initiative in collaboration with Brighton Dome, Leeds Playhouse, Oxford Playhouse, Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, committed to taking new theatre of the finest quality across the country. The strategic partnership for producing and touring new midscale theatre will bring bold new plays to audiences, creating a robust network of touring venues who will collectively make, present and partner on the work. The initiative is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Working with exceptional artists to share new work and embrace diverse stories that shine fresh light on the world we live in, Touring Together’s first new show, Once Upon a Time in Sokoto, will be produced by Fuel and will be followed by a China Plate production in autumn 2027.

Winner of the 2024 Alfred Fagon Award for Once Upon a Time in Sokoto, Nigeria-born Inua Ellams is an internationally celebrated poet, playwright, and artist. He has published four poetry collections and his plays include the hugely popular and critically acclaimed Barber Shop Chronicles (Fuel/National Theatre, UK and International tour), the award-winning The 14th Tale (Fuel/UK tour) and his retelling of Three Sisters (Fuel/National Theatre).

Ola Ince is a critically acclaimed and award-winning theatre, film, and opera director. In 2015 Ola became a BBC Performing Arts Fellow and Resident Associate Director at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. In 2016 she became the Genesis Future Director Award winner and Artistic Associate at Lyric Hammersmith and Theatre Royal Stratford East. She was named one of the Elle list’s ‘50 Game Changers of Now’ in 2019 and won the 2020 Peter Hall Bursary Award. Ola was Artistic Associate at the Royal Court Theatre from 2018 to 2022.

Royal & Derngate’s Artistic Director Jesse Jones and Deputy CEO (Producing & Programming) Holly Gladwell said: “At Royal & Derngate we couldn't be more thrilled to be a core part of Touring Together, collaborating with five other venues across the UK to bring top quality new work to audiences, and ensure that the whole country gets the best of the best of UK theatre-making. The new approach to producing mid-scale touring will allow us to collectively platform new stories for regional audiences first. Once Upon a Time in Sokoto will be presented as part of our Made in Northampton strand which focuses on bringing world class, world premieres to our audiences and we're delighted to be opening the tour here“

Once Upon a Time in Sokoto takes to the Royal stage from Monday 28 September to Saturday 10 October. Tickets – priced from £15* – can be booked by online at www.royalandderngate.co.uk/once-upon-a-time-in-sokoto or by calling Box Office on 01604 624811.

* A non-refundable £4 per-transaction fee applies for bookings of £20 and over. Does not apply to Groups and Members. Prices may change subject to availability.