It was announced today, 28th March, that the cast for Guardian and BuzzFeed journalist Bim Adewunmi’s debut play, Hoard at Arcola Theatre will include Ellen Thomas (EastEnders), Emmanuella Cole (National Theatre’s An Octoroon), Kemi Durosinmi (Arcola Theatre’s The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives), Tyler Fayose (Global TV’s Departures, The Globe’s Much Ado About Nothing), and Elizabeth Ita (Coronation Street, Count Arthur Strong, Il Sonnambulo).
Femi Elufowoju, jr directs Hoard which opens on the 20th May 2019, with previews from 15th May and runs until 8th June.
‘If I hadn’t come here this evening, when would I have met him?’
Rafi and Ami are about to meet their little sister’s boyfriend for the first time. Out of the blue, their mother arrives. Wura often shows up unannounced, and it’s never been a problem except this time, it is. Why doesn’t she know Brian exists? For the close-knit family, this secret has explosive consequences, one that forces the three sisters and their mother to face up to old hurts and unspoken tensions.
Bim Adewunmi is a senior culture writer for BuzzFeed News and columnist with Guardian Weekend. She is a 2018 finalist at the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) Ellie Awards, and her work has appeared in Vogue, Mslexia, Red, and Monocle, among several others. Bim has turned her hand to the stage for her debut play, Hoard.
Femi Elufowoju, jr is a performer-director, freelance producer of Radio Drama for the BBC and Creative director of Elufowoju jr Ensemble. Directing credits include: Tickets & Ties, The Hotel Cerise (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Dealer’s Choice (Salisbury Playhouse) Off Camera, Medea (West Yorkshire Playhouse), The Big Men (National Theatre), Bone (Royal Court), Blues for an Alabama Sky (RADA), The Gods are not to Blame and Blue/Orange (Arcola Theatre), Efe Paul Azino’s Finding Home (Terra Kulture, Lagos & Goethe Institut/Theater Expedition Metropolis Berlin) and Things Fall Apart (Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre). He recently restaged The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives in a co-production with Arcola Theatre and subsequently for Ake Arts and Book Festival in Lagos Nigeria, winning the Off-West End Award for Best Director. Femi established the first ever African national touring theatre company in Britain, tiata fahodzi which he led artistically for 13 years (1997/2010). His penultimate production for the company (Oladipo Agboluaje’s Iya-Ile, the first wife) was nominated for an Olivier Award. His has since served as Associate Director for Royal Court, West Yorkshire Playhouse, New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich and as Associate Artist at the Almeida.
Hoard was originally written for BBC Arts and Avalon as part of an initiative to encourage writers from genres outside of theatre to write for the stage. Arcola Theatre presents Hoard in association with BBC Arts and Avalon.
Praise for director Femi Elufowoju jr’s The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives at Arcola:
“Nothing short of spectacular” ★★★★★ The Guardian
“an acutely funny piece of theatre” ★★★★ The Stage
“Exuberantly entertaining … enjoyably clamorous and unflinchingly serious”
★★★★ Evening Standard
Listings
Arcola Theatre
24 Ashwin Street, Dalston, London E8 3DL
Box Office: 020 7503 1646
Performances: 15 May – 8 June
Monday to Saturday at 8pm, Saturday matinees at 3:30pm
Relaxed performance: Thursday 23 May, 8pm
Press night: Tuesday 21 May 2019, 7pm
Tickets: £10 to £22 (concessions available)
Listings: www.arcolatheatre.com/event/hoard
#Hoard
For more information please contact:
Lily Marriott / LMarriott@avalonuk.com / 020 7598 7222
ABOUT ARCOLA THEATRE
Arcola Theatre is one of London’s leading off-West End theatres. Locally engaged and internationally minded, Arcola stages a diverse programme of plays, operas and musicals. World-class productions from major artists appear alongside cutting-edge work from the most exciting emerging companies. Arcola delivers one of London’s most extensive community engagement programmes, creating over 11,000 opportunities every year. By providing research and development space to diverse artists, Arcola champions theatre that’s more engaging and representative. Its pioneering environmental initiatives are internationally renowned and aim to make Arcola the world’s first carbon-neutral theatre.
Twitter: @arcolatheatre
Facebook: arcolatheatre
ABOUT AVALON
Avalon is a producer of live shows around the world, with productions including Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee’s Jerry Springer: The Opera, the first West End show to win all four UK ‘Best New Musical’ awards and Newman and Baddiel: Live at Wembley, the UK’s first arena comedy show.
Avalon has promoted more winners and nominees of the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Award than any other company.
