Kalungi Ssebandeke Archives - North West End UK

Shortlisted for the 2023 Theatre503’s International Playwriting Award, “The Great Privation” is a generous play filled with wit, vivid characters, and clever observations on systemic inequalities and the generational gap in African American experiences, which under Kalungi Ssebandeke’s direction sometimes lacks a little risk and finesse. Reminiscent of Bruce Norris' "Clybourne Park," this UK debut play for Harlem playwright Nia Akilah Robinson navigates a dual timeline in Philadelphia: one in 1832 in an African Baptist Church’s graveyard, the other in modern times at a cabin behind the same burial site. The story centres around Missy Freeman (Sydney Sainté) and her daughter Charity (Christie Fewry), who, in 1832, pray at the tomb of Moses, their husband and father, victim of a recent...

This is the companion piece to Orange Tree Theatre’s Inside which featured three new short plays from emerging and established writers and Outside follows the same format with three more short plays livestreamed from the Orange Tree Theatre auditorium. The three plays have a distinct link in so much that they look at personal connection during difficult times and how healing can sometimes take place through mutual understanding and the ability to forgive Two Billion Beats by Sonali Bhattacharyya features two schoolgirl sisters one of whom is in detention. It’s a slim story but the dialogue between the two sisters (Asha played by Zainab Hasan & Bettina played by Ashna Rabheru) crackled along at a fair pace. It was unfortunate that the performance suffered from some sou...

Tag: Kalungi Ssebandeke

The Great Privation – Theatre503

Outside – Orange Tree Theatre