Following the success of the Bush Theatre’s Studio season, a laboratory for the very best in new writing, new stories, and new experiences, hosting world-class plays about things that matter from some of the best up-and-coming artists, the venue today announces The Kola Nut Does Not Speak English.
Written and performed by Tania Nwachukwu and previously seen at the Vault Festival in 2020 will open in the Bush Studio on 28 November.
“I trip over words in English. I trip over words in Igbo.
Sometimes it feels like my tongue fails me.”
Tasha needs to tell us a story. About her life, the North-West London flat where she grew up, and the houseplants she can’t keep alive. Suddenly, the distance between herself and the generations of green-fingered Igbo women that came before her feels greater than ever.
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The Storyteller cuts in – she has a story to tell too. The story of Eze and the Kola tree. A story she needs us to hear. Especially now, when the tree is struggling to survive and the fruit that holds the memories of its people dating back centuries could be lost forever.
Through immersive storytelling, dance, and song, The Kola Nut Does Not Speak English is a glorious celebration of self-discovery written and performed by Tania Nwachukwu (The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, Arcola) that celebrates African theatre practices and proudly embraces the power of telling your own story.
Tania Nwachukwu is an Igbo performer, writer, and educator, born and raised in London. She is the co-founder of Black in the Day, a member of Octavia Poetry Collective and a Barbican Young Poets alumna. She trained at Mountview where she received her MA in Performance (Acting). She is a visiting lecturer at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and Mountview. Tania’s previous work includes: The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives (Arcola); All The Places We Could Travel (Derby); and The Irregulars (Netflix).
The Bush continues its commitment to freelance practitioners by employing a core group of creatives to work on all four Studio shows this season including set and costume designer Georgia Wilmot, lighting designer Laura Howard, sound designer Bella Kear and production manager Ruth Burgon. They have created a common space for the Studio season, uniting the four different worlds of the plays and collaborating with different directors on each show.
An earlier version of The Kola Nut Does Not Speak English was presented by Nouveau Riche at VAULT Festival 2020.
Tickets priced from £10 (concessions available) can be booked at bushtheatre.co.uk or at the Box Office on 020 8743 5050.
