For African men the world over, the barber shop is more than a place to get a shave and a haircut. It’s a place to hear news, share views and talk politics, women and sport. It’s a place where a man can let down his guard, blow off steam, and leave looking sharp and feeling reinvigorated. The Nigerian-born, UK-based poet, designer and playwright Inua Ellams imagines these buzzing spaces on stage in a fresh, funny, truth-telling play, direct from the National Theatre in London.

The audience visits barber shops in London, Harare, Kampala, Lagos, Accra and Johannesburg to eavesdrop on individual problems, common obsessions, the complex legacies of colonialism and jokes without borders. This acclaimed production, directed by Bijan Sheibani and showcasing some of the finest acting talent in Britain, comes to Sydney direct from a successful UK run.

“★★★★★ Rich and exhilarating. A fascinating peek into the barber shop” The Stage

“★★★★★ JOYOUS. BRILLIANTLY ACTED. LIFE-AFFIRMING. GO” The Independent

What: Barber Shop Chroniucles

Where: Sydney Festival 2018 @ Seymour Centre

When: 18-28 January 2018

To Find Out More and to Book Online Click Here

INUA ELLAMS, WRITER: Born in Nigeria, Inua Ellams is a cross-art-form practitioner: a poet, playwright, performer, graphic artist, designer and founder of the Midnight Run, a nocturnal urban excursion. He’s a Complete Works poet alumni and a designer at White Space Creative Agency. Inua Ellams’ previous plays at the National Theatre include The 14th Tale (Fringe First award) and Black T-Shirt Collection. Other plays include The Riddler at Theatre503; Knight Watch at Greenwich + Docklands Festival; Mostly Like Blue for Islington Community Theatre; Cape at the Unicorn; The Long Song Goodbye at Battersea Arts Centre; Fastcuts and Snapshot at West Yorkshire Playhouse; Marsh Orchids & Concrete for China Plate; Reset Everything and An Evening with an Immigrant at the Soho and on tour, which was awarded the Liberty Human Rights Award in 2017; and Turned at Trafalgar Studios. His poetry is published by Flipped Eye, Akashic, Nine Arches, and several plays by Oberon Books. His new book #Afterhours is published by Nine Arches Press.