Multi-talented writer, director and actor Oliver Twist brings his critically acclaimed one-man show Jali to Soho Theatre. The show’s opening night is set to coincide with World Refugee Day, adding an important and timely message to this already powerful piece of theatre.
After fleeing the Rwandan civil war at the age of four, Oliver spent his childhood in Malawi, first in a refugee camp, and later in the capital city where his mother and father started a small convenience store. After acceptance into the Australian government’s refugee intake, the family arrived in Queensland in 2014 and Oliver set out on his career as a comedian/storyteller.
Jali, which translates to “poet” or “musician”, features Oliver’s remarkable talent for storytelling as he reflects on his experience as a refugee and delves into his current life. Through personal anecdotes, dramatic flair, and humorous anecdotes, Oliver uses storytelling as a potent tool to confront the trauma he has faced. Jali takes audiences on a vivid and emotional journey from a tumultuous past to the present, offering a powerful antidote to the lasting effects of hardship and adversity.
Jali was nominated for Best Independent Production at the Sydney Theatre Awards for 2021, with Oliver Twist also nominated for Best Newcomer. As a comic, he has been chosen to open for the best national and international acts. He has been lauded as a talent both by critics and by audiences. JALI, a memoir is set to be published by Penguin Random House later this year.
SOHO THEATRE is London’s most vibrant producer of new theatre, comedy and cabaret. Opened in 2000, bang in the creative heart of London, it is one of the country’s busiest venues with a buzzing bar and a year-round festival programme with a queer, punk, counter-culture flavour. Work extends far beyond its home with a UK and international touring programme and connections; presenting shows and scouting talent at Edinburgh Festival Fringe plus close links with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Soho Theatre is UK’s leading presenter of Indian comedians from the burgeoning scene there and have partnerships and a Soho Theatre Comedy Producer based in Mumbai.
Soho Theatre is working towards the 2024 opening of an exciting new second London venue, Soho Theatre Walthamstow. A culmination of many years of Soho’s work, in collaboration with a grassroots local campaign, to save a glorious, 1930’s art deco venue with an incredible heritage reinvented as a 1,000-capacity venue for world-class comedy, panto, performance and participation – a ‘local theatre with a national profile’.
