International Play Development
The Royal Court Theatre works with hundreds of playwrights across the world. All plays submitted to the international department are read in the original language by ...… Read more
Nigeria
Since 1959
The Nigerian playwright and Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka was first produced at the Royal Court in 1959.
In 2006, Elyse Dodgson travelled to Nigeria to meet with theatre practitioners across the country to explore a new project with emerging writers, visiting Lagos, Jos, Ibadan and Abuja.
The following year, Elyse returned to Lagos to begin work with twelve writers, accompanied by writer Leo Butler and director Hettie Macdonald. During his stay, Leo met the dancer/choreographer Anthony Odey and commenced an artistic collaboration culminating in the theatre piece, Airbag which was performed as part of the Royal Court’s inaugural Rough Cuts season in 2007. Work continued with these writers in December 2007, when Leo returned to Lagos with Royal Court Associate Director Ramin Gray. In 2008, a week of readings, led by Leo and director Clare Lizzimore, took place and, in 2009, five of the playwrights were invited to London to work with British theatre artists on New Plays from Nigeria.
Rotimi Babatunde
Playwright
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