CAST LIST PANDORA’S BOX NATIONAL TOUR 2014

Spora Stories is delighted to announce the cast for the UK Tour of Offie-nominated Pandora’s Box.

The cast includes TUNDE EUBA (BABA), CHINWE NWOKOLO (BEV), ANYEBE ANTEYI (TOPE), EDWARD KAGUTUZI (TIMI), YETUNDE ODUWOLE (SIS RONKE), ESTHER UWEJEYAH (TOYIN), AMOUR OWOLABI (PRINCIPAL OSUN) and TOMI OGUNJOBI (MAMA RONKE).

Following sell-out shows at Arcola Theatre, the acclaimed, award-winning British-African family drama, Pandora’s Box, embarks on its long-awaited UK tour. Shortlisted for this year’s Nigeria Prize for Literature, Africa’s biggest literary award, and nominated for Best New Play, Off West End Theatre Awards, this moving tragicomedy about families, betrayal, choices and love is a must-see.

This autumn offers the chance to catch this ‘touching, hilarious’ (The Stage) play that has been dazzling audiences with its ‘enthralling, brilliant’ (Public Reviews) story and performances. Pandora’s Box is generously funded by Arts Council England with additional funding from the Unity Theatre Trust.

“You think England is hard? Compared to Nigeria? My dear, you haven’t seen anything yet!” Summer break is ending. On holiday with her streetwise son in Nigeria, 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?

“What do you see out of that window? People right? Just people. Because there are no ‘Black’ people in Africa. Let him experience that for a change.” A family spanning three generations and two continents meets in Lagos for the first time in over thirty years. But the joy of reunion also unleashes long-suppressed truths. An exuberant and thought-provoking mix of comedy, tragedy and family drama, Pandora’s Box reveals the heartbreak behind the difficult choices some parents must make – and the price their children pay.

TUNDE EUBA (BABA) is an actor/director/writer/facilitator who has enjoyed a long and varied career in theatre. Starting out as an actor, he later explored other “areas of artistic expression” and turned his hand to writing, directing and more recently, photography. After a ten year break from touring, Tunde is ‘back on the road again’, fittingly retrieving his role of Baba six years after his appearance in the very first reading of Pandora’s Box at the Almeida Theatre.

CHINWE NWOKOLO (BEV) is an actress from South London. She studied entertainment journalism but after playing a role in a short film at university, she turned to acting. After graduating, she enrolled at a weekend drama school where she began her career. Credits include: West 10 LDN (BBC Three). My Territory (Soho Theatre) The Gods Are Not To Blame (Young Vic theatre) and most recent House of Corrections (Riverside Studios).

ANYEBE GODWIN ANTEYI (TOPE) is an actor from south London. He performed as Ariel at the age of 10 in a school community performance of The Tempest at Southwark Playhouse. Since then he has performed at many venues and has two successfully sold out tours with State of Play Theatre. Anyebe trained at Rose Bruford College and is also a member of Theatre Royal Stratford East’s Young Artists Lab, most recently performing in their Summer 2014 studio season. . Credits include: G.I Joe In Dorset (Tour and Mary Shelly Theatre); Flat Lives (Theatre Royal Stratford East); Family 2.0 (The Cockpit Theatre); and Misidentity (Lost Theatre).

EDWARD KAGUTUZI (TIMI) trained at Identity Drama school, Theatre Studies A-Level. Credits include: Theatre – House of Corrections (Bola Agbaje), Covered (Daniel Bailey). Television – Law and Order UK (ITV), Brixton Hill Cop (Triple Threat Media), Mo Ali (Dubplate Drama, Channel 4). Film – The Mirror Boy (OH TV), Illegal Activity (Kingdom Vision Pictures). Awards – Best Young Actor (African Movie Academy Awards), Best Actor (BEFFTA).

YETUNDE ODUWOLE (SIS RONKE) trained at Central School of Speech and Drama, Stella Alder New York, Goldsmiths College and City Lit. She has worked with Tiata Fahodzi, Talawa Theatre, Royal Court Theatre. Credits include: Adulto Orgasmo (Lion 7 Unicorn Theatre), Torn (Arcola Theatre), The New Boss (Broadway Theatre), Hackney Streets (Rosemary Branch Theatre), The Harlot (Coronet Theatre), The Wedlock Of the Gods (Cochrane Theatre), Meet the Adebanjos (Hackney Empire, Catford Broadway Theatre and the OHTV television series), Pandora’s Box (Arcola Theatre) Youngers (E4) and various short films.

ESTHER UWEJEYAH (TOYIN) is a member of Fragments Theatre Company. She played Pontius Pilate in their recent adaptation of The Master and Margarita. Recently she played Nina in Satanic Panic in a successful run at the Drayton Arms Theatre. A Modern Drama Graduate (Brunel). Esther’s work can also be found on screen having appeared as Sabrina in the popular web series Brothers with No Game and as Anne in the web series Redemptions End.

AMOUR OWOLABI (PRINCIPAL OSUN) trained at The Actors Centre, The Actors Lab and Identity Drama School. Amour is a BEFTA and LA-WEB award winner. Recent television and film includes: Dignity Of Difference (BBC), The MehmeFemi’s, Hunting For Hubbies; Silent Witness (BBC); Fall Out (Ch4); Sprint; GT Assure; Nigerian Heritage; Bouquet; Shooting Stars (BBC); All About The Mckenzies; Daarsat; Rayban; Unspoken series 1 & 2; Sainsbury’s; Displaced Diagetics; Shattered Hearts; MTV. Amour has been presenting a live TV show on BEN TV for the past three years.

TOMI OGUNJOBI (MAMA RONKE) is a graduate of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, specialising in acting, singing, dance and movement. Tomi has worked with Ola Rotimi, Femi Osofisan, Dapo Adelugba, Bayo Oduneye, Bassey Effiong, Ben Tomoloju, Chuck Mike and Rufus Norris. Recent credits include: Our Husband has Gone Mad Again by Ola Rotimi, Where the Devils Dwell by Rhiannon Tise, Royal Court Young People’s Theatre London and Muje-muje by Ben Tomoloju.

ADE SOLANKE (PLAYWRIGHT) is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter and founder of Spora Stories. Her acclaimed play, Pandora’s Box, was nominated for Best New Play in the Off West End Theatre Awards and is shortlisted for the Nigeria Prize for Literature, 2014. Several of Ade’s scripts have been both quarter and semi-finalists in the US Academy’s Nicholl Screenwriting Contest. She worked in Hollywood as a Story Analyst. Earlier in her career, she was voted ‘London’s Top Youth Entrepreneur’ for her writing business.

Twitter: @sporastories / #PBox2014 | Facebook: www.facebook.com/SporaStories

PANDORA’S BOX UK TOUR DETAILS – BOOK NOW!

 

 

 

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Join Diane Abbott MP, Richard Taylor OBE at our special education panel at Catford Theatre Fri 10th Oct

Join the Pandora’s Box debate at Catford Broadway Theatre – Fight or Flight: Educating British African Kids

Book now to see the award-winning play, Pandora’s Box, at Catford Broadway Theatre, and join the special pre-show panel debate and Yes/No vote on taking UK-born children to Africa or the Caribbean.

Two years ago, Spora Stories pulled together a wonderful group of people for their Pandora’s Box Parent Education Day. At 6.15pm on Friday 10th Oct at Catford Broadway Theatre, they return to meet you for their special panel discussion, ‘Fight or Flight: Educating British African kids’.

Join Diane Abbott MP, Richard Taylor OBE, founder of the Damilola Taylor Trust, Olu Alake, Emeritus President of 100 Black Men of London, Jenny Okafar, President of Nigerian Women in Diaspora Leadership Forum, Henrietta Abrahams, President of NIgerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) and Professor Osita Okagbue, Goldsmiths College.

This is an open, panel-led discussion on the subject of Pandora’s Box: taking UK African kids back to Africa or the Caribbean for education. The acclaimed, award-winning family drama is now on tour throughout the UK and comes to Catford Broadway Theatre for one night only on Fri Oct 10. Show starts at 7.45. As a special offer, you can get your ticket and join the debate for the great price of £17 (instead of £25 and £20 conc) Book now.

We will also be joined by the Sickle Cell Society on the night who will be raising funds.

REMAINING TOUR DATES… Nigerian Independence Day celebrations at The Drum, Birmingham Wed 1 Oct, 7.30pm www.the-drum.org.uk | 0121 333 2400/2444 As part of the Nigerian 54 Independence Day Celebrations, The Drum is proud to present an unmissable, award-wining tragicomedy about one Nigerian family’s struggles with Love, Loyalty, Betrayal, and heart-breaking choices only a parent can understand, in Pandora’s Box. This breath-taking production will be followed by an exclusive meet-and-greet Q&A with the writer, director, actors and Nigerian community leaders.

Southampton Hub Theatre Thu/Fri/ Sat 2/3/4 Oct, 7.30pm www.southampton-city.ac.uk/hubtheatre | 023 8071 1818

Carnival Arts Centre, Luton Thurs 9 Oct, 7.30pm www.carnivalarts.org.uk | 01582 437 100

LONDON VENUES

Millfields Arts Centre as part of their Black History Month celebrations Wed 8 Oct, 7.45pm www.millfieldtheatre.co.uk/ | 020 8807 6680

Broadway Theatre, Catford Fri 10 Oct, 7.45pm www.broadwaytheatre.org.uk | 020 8690 0002

Thameside Theatre, Thurrock, Wed 22 Oct, 7.30 www.thurrock.gov.uk/theatre ] 0845 300 5264

Broadway Theatre, Barking Thurs 23 Oct, 7.30pm www.thebroadwaybarking.com | 020 8507 5610

Bernie Grant Arts Centre Fri/Sat 24/25 Oct, 7.30pm www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk | 020 8365 5450

CLF Art Café, Bussey Building 27 Oct – 29 Oct, 3pm (new dates) www.clfartcafe.org | 020 7732 5275 (Plus free half-term participation activities for families and young people)

Arcola Theatre *new dates and venue added* 29 Oct – 1 Nov, 8pm + 3pm matinee, 1 Nov www.arcolatheatre.com | 020 7503 1646 (Plus free half-term participation activities for families and young people)