London via Lagos

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The London via Lagos Festival at Oval House Theatre



London via Lagos is a daring festival of new plays by British-Nigerian
playwrights offering three radically different visions of the relationship
between Nigeria and the UK.



Over ten weeks, from May 3 - July 10th, London via Lagos brings to the London stage three
innovative and contemporary plays; each with its own perspective spanning the
political, the personal, and the domestic. All three dramas investigate today’s
Britain and all reflect the vigour and passion of Nigeria.


From the streets of Hackney to the English countryside; from the mansions of
the Lagos elite to the oil pipelines of Northern Nigeria, three new plays reveal
the political, personal and the domestic stories found where two great cultures
meet.



Co-produced by new British-African drama company, Spora Stories, the Festival

features the work of Ade Solanke, Arinze Kene, and Lydia Adetunji.



Pandora's Box by Ade Solanke (Tuesday 3 – Sunday 22 May, 2011)

On holiday with her streetwise son in Lagos, a British-Nigerian mother is in
turmoil. Should she leave her only child in a strict Lagos boarding school, or
return him to the ‘battlefields’ of inner London…? A family spanning three
generations and two continents meet together in Lagos for the first time in over
thirty years. But the joy of reunion also unleashes long-suppressed truths. An
exuberant mix of comedy, tragedy and family drama, Pandora’s Boxreveals the
heartbreak behind the choices every parent must make.



On May 6th, we'll be having a post-show debate titled 'Fight or Flight: Education,

British-African kids and Africa,'with Diane Abbott MPand Dr Osita Okagbue of Goldsmiths College,

about taking British-African/Caribbean kids back to Africa or the Caribbean. As you know, a
Nigerian woman was imprisoned in Britain in February for taking her son home against his will.



Special early bird booking offer of £10 tickets (instead of £14) if booked by April 18th. Code word 'early' (telephone or web).

Group bookings: 10 or more - £12/ £5 (concessions) per ticket.

Concessions for under 16s and others are available at £7 during the run. Preview tickets for May 3rd and 4th are also £7.

www.ovalhouse.com (no fee) or 0207 582 7680 (3-8pm Tues - Sat)


Arinze Kene's play 'Little Baby Jesus' follows from May 25th - June 15th .



Lydia Adetunji's play 'Fixer' is on from June 21st - July 10th.

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