Our Current Theatre Production

Footprints In The Sand

Footprints in the Sand - two new plays explore the dreams and aspirations, loves and losses of African refugees to Britain.

For One Night Only by Oladipo Agboluaje is a warm hearted comedy about economic migrant Bode and asylum seeker Eddie who meet at Gatwick Airport. Both seek a better life. Their hilarious adventures take them from Didcot to Dover, from Milton Keynes to Crawley, evading the authorities in a quest to fulfil their dreams. A witty and heartfelt piece For One Night Only tugs at the heartstrings and entertains as much as it provokes.

“We live like the sea, in ebbs and tides, walking lightly in case the ground takes our footprints and hands them over to immigrations.”

Letting Go is a haunting love story set in Dover focusing on the relationship between a Liberian Asylum Seeker and a British Asian teacher. Both are imprisoned by their pasts, unable to move forward until the intervention of the mysterious Raza. An atmospheric and evocative piece, Letting Go deals with the anguish of leaving those you love and the terrible choices that some of us must face.

Footprints in the Sand will tour nationally in Spring 2008. Director Helena Bell. Dramaturg Gabriel Gbadamosi. In July 2007 the plays will undergo a development process at South Street Arts Centre, Reading. This project is being developed and co-produced as part of the Hydroponic Project, run by writernet with support from Reading Borough Council and Arts Council England, South East.

The Writers
Oladipo Agboluaje (For One Night Only) is one of Britain’s foremost young black writers. His first play Early Morning premiered in 2003 at Oval House to rave reviews - ‘An exciting, vital new voice’ Time Out. Oladipo then went on to adapt Mother Courage for Nottingham Playhouse which toured nationally as part of the Eclipse programme and in 2005 was invited to become Writer in Residence at The Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich. Other plays include The Estate for Tiata Fahodzi (2006), God is a DJ for Theatre Centre (2006) and a BBC radio adaptation of The Trials of Brother Jero. He is the 2007 Pearson Writer in Residence at The Soho Theatre for whom he has writen The Christ of Coldharbour Lane. He is also currently under commission to Tiata Fahodzi and The National Theatre Studio. Oladipo is a PBAB Associate Artist.

Rukhsana Ahmad (Letting Go) was the Co-founder and Artistic Director of Kali Theatre which she ran for eight years and for whom she wrote Song for a Sanctuary, (Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith & National Tour), Black Shalwar (Oval House & National tour) and River on Fire (Lyric Theatre & National Tour). In 2001 River on Fire was nominated for the Susan Smith Blackburn Award “Ripe with tensions and once it is fired up, it crackles with them, a drama that stays with you.” Time Out. Rukhsana has been widely commissioned by companies as diverse as Tara Arts, Monstrous Regiment, Alarmist Theatre, LIFT, Worcester Arts, Birmingham Rep and Derby Playhouse as well as writing and adapting numerous plays for Radio 4 and The World Service. Her play for the Vayu Naidu Company Mistaken...Annie Besant in India is currently touring nationally.

Past Theatre Productions
Read more about our past productions here