Fuel has announced an extension to the world premiere tour of Once Upon a Time in Sokoto, the epic family drama by internationally acclaimed poet and playwright Inua Ellams, directed by Roy Alexander Weise.
Following its autumn 2026 premiere and acclaimed opening run in association with Touring Together, the production will continue touring across the UK into summer 2027, with newly announced dates at Theatre by the Lake in Keswick from 24 to 27 March 2027 and a four-week London transfer to Lyric Hammersmith Theatre from 13 April to 8 May 2027.
The production is currently touring to Nottingham Playhouse, Warwick Arts Centre, Leeds Playhouse, Brighton Dome and Bristol Old Vic, having opened at Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Oxford Playhouse earlier this autumn.
Winner of the 2024 Alfred Fagon Award, Once Upon a Time in Sokoto tells the story of an unlikely friendship between an enslaved woman and her former master. Set against the backdrop of events leading to the creation of Nigeria, the play explores how differences in faith, culture and heritage can be overcome in the face of adversity.
The cast includes Adeola Yemitan as Nafisa, Antonia Layiwola as Zinari, Bayo Gbadamosi as Hadiru and Will Atiomo as Yusef.
The play opens with the line: “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.”
Inua Ellams said: “I’m really excited about Once Upon a Time in Sokoto’s tour extension. It’ll be new ground for me; I’ve never had work staged in the Lake District, and Theatre by the Lake in Keswick is a gorgeous setting for this story. And coming home to London, where so many of the women who helped shaped the story live; I’ve been dying to show them what we made and the Lyric Hammersmith is a perfect, perfect space.”
Director Roy Alexander Weise said: “This play is an important part of Nigerian history and African history but it is also British history and world history. To be able to make more stops around the country shedding light through this epic story is a gift; to see auditoriums filled with ecstatic and diverse audiences celebrating a lost African civilisation is a blessing.
“I’ve not had a show on in our capital city since The Hot Wing King in 2024 and I’m buzzing to get back, to give audiences something fresh and to raise the roof with my communities. There may be tears. There will be laughter. And certainly loads to think and talk about.”
Kate McGrath, Artistic Director & CEO of Fuel, said: “All of us at Fuel are thrilled by the reaction to this show from audiences and reviewers alike, and delighted to be able to extend its tour dates. This marks Fuel’s first performances at the beautiful Theatre by the Lake, and a return to the Lyric Hammersmith where we began four happy years producing the theatre’s year-round programme exactly 20 years ago. We’re hugely grateful to our Touring Together partners, China Plate, Royal & Derngate, Leeds Playhouse, Brighton Dome, Oxford Playhouse, Warwick Arts Centre and Arts Council England, for their collaboration, enabling new work to tour to audiences right across the UK. We look forward to welcoming audiences in Keswick and London to this vibrant production telling an extraordinary story which connects us all.”
Once Upon a Time in Sokoto was co-commissioned and developed by Fuel with the National Theatre and is presented in association with Touring Together, a national initiative created by Fuel and China Plate to bring bold new stories to audiences across the UK.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
