Written by
Inua Ellams
Inua Ellams
Directed by
Bijan Sheibani
Bijan Sheibani
Age recommendation
12+
12+
Running time
1 hour 45 minutes, no interval.
1 hour 45 minutes, no interval.
Dates
26 Sep 2018 - 8 Dec 2019
26 Sep 2018 - 8 Dec 2019
Artist/Company
Inua Ellams
Inua Ellams
A Fuel, National Theatre, and Leeds Playhouse co-production.
For generations, African men have gathered in barber shops. Sometimes they have haircuts, sometimes they listen, more often than not they talk. Barber shops are confession boxes, political platforms, preacher-pulpits, and football pitches… places to go for unofficial advice, and to keep in touch with the world.
Fuel has produced Inua Ellams’ work for theatre since his debut play nine years ago. Barber Shop Chronicles is a heart-warming, hilarious, and insightful new play, set in Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lagos, Accra, and London. The play invited the audience into a uniquely masculine environment where the banter may be barbed, but the truth always telling.
The barbers of these tales are sages, role models, and father figures, they are the glue that keeps men together.
Co-commissioned by Fuel and the National Theatre. Development funded by Arts Council England with the support of Fuel, National Theatre Studio, Leeds Playhouse, The Binks Trust, British Council ZA, Oran Mor and A Play, a Pie and a Pint.
To read about the first iteration of this project, see Inua Ellams’ Fast Cuts and Snapshots
CREATIVES
| Inua Ellams – Writer
Bijan Sheibani – Director Rae Smith – Designer Jack Knowles – Lighting Designer Aline David – Movement Director Gareth Fry – Sound Designer Michael Henry – Musical Director Lekan Lawal/Stella Odunlami – Associate Directors Kwami Odoom – Assistant Choreographer Louis Hammond CDG – Casting Director Catherine Morgan – Associate Designer Lydia Crimp – Costume Supervisor Andrew Whiteoak – WHAM Supervisor Kev McCurdy – Fight Director Peter Atakpo – Barber Consultant Charmian Hoare – Company Voice Work Hazel Holder – Dialect Coach |
CAST
Micah Balfour – Winston/Shoni
Okorie Chukwu – Elnathan/Benjamin/Dwain
Maynard Eziashi – Musa/Andile/Mensah
Adé Dee Haastrup – Wole/Kwabena/Simon
Emmanuel Ighodaro – Tokunbo/Paul/Simphiwe
Demmy Ladipo – Wallace/Timothy/Mohammed/Tinashe
Mohammed Mansaray – Samuel
Tom Moutchi – Kwame/Fabrice/Brian/Olawale
Anthony Ofoegbu – Emmanuel
Elmi Rashid Elmi – Ethan
Eric Shango – Tanaka/Fiifi
David Webber – Abram/Ohene/Sizwe
03/12/2019 - 08/12/2019
Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York
New York
23/10/2019 - 09/11/2019
The Lyceum, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
16/10/2019 - 19/10/2019
Eden Court, Inverness
Inverness
18/07/2019 - 24/08/2019
Roundhouse Theatre, London
London
13/11/2019 - 16/11/2019
Nuffield Southampton Theatres
Southampton
09/10/2019 - 12/10/2019
Oxford Playhouse
Oxford
22/05/2019 - 01/06/2019
Sheffield Crucible
Sheffield
02/05/2019 - 18/05/2019
Bristol Old Vic
Bristol
03/04/2019 - 06/04/2019
Curve Theatre, Leicester
Leicester
12/03/2019 - 23/03/2019
Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
Manchester
17/01/2019 - 19/01/2019
Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, NH, USA
Hanover, New Hampshire, United States
05/12/2018 - 05/01/2019
Loeb Drama Center, Cambridge, MA, USA
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
28/11/2018 - 01/12/2018
Kennedy Center in Washington
Washington DC
15/11/2018 - 24/11/2018
The Grand Theatre in London, Canada
London, Ontario, Canada
08/11/2018 - 10/11/2018
The Roble Theatre at Stanford University
Stanford, California, USA
01/11/2018 - 03/11/2018
Seattle Moore Theatre
Seattle, Washington, USA
26/10/2018 - 28/10/2018
Zellerbach Hall at University of Berkley California
Berkley, California, USA
18/10/2018 - 20/10/2018
UCLA Freud Playhouse
Los Angeles, California, USA
13/10/2018
Gammage Theatre at Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona, USA
24/02/2018 - 04/03/2018
New Zealand Festival
Wellington, New Zealand
09/02/2018 - 18/02/2018
Perth Festival
Perth, Australia
18/01/2018 - 28/01/2018
Sydney Festival
Sydney, Australia
20/11/2017 - 09/01/2018
National Theatre
London
12/07/2017 - 29/07/2017
West Yorkshire Playhouse
Leeds
30/05/2017 - 22/06/2017
National Theatre
London
25/02/2017
CUT Festival: The Art Of Barbering, Toynbee Studios
London
26/09/2019 - 29/09/2019
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Birmingham
20/11/2019 - 23/11/2019
Leeds Playhouse
Leeds