Theatre News

Unicorn Theatre announces cast of How Nigeria Became

Gbolahan Obisesan’s new play, ”How Nigeria Became: A Story and a Spear That Didn’t Work”, opens in October

Leading children's venue the Unicorn Theatre has announced the cast of How Nigeria Became: A Story, and a Spear that Didn't Work, written and directed by Gbolahan Obisesan.

The play, which is suitable for ages 8+, is set 100 years ago, in 1914, just before the formation of Nigeria.

The cast will include Rita Balogun, Tunji Falani, Stephanie Levi-John, Rebecca Omogbehin and Christian Roe.

The play within a play shows a group of women preparing a story to perform for the British governor and his wife. The story they tell is that of the "Spear of Shango", about a brave young woman on a quest to save her father's kingdom, however this story doesn't quite fulfil the governor's idea of a united country.

How Nigeria Became: A Story, and a Spear that Didn't Work is being staged from 9 October to 9 November 2014 as part of Black History Month at the Unicorn.

This is Obisesan's second play at the Unicorn, with his first being a successful run of another of his plays, Mad About the Boy, which transferred to the Unicorn after winning a Fringe First at Edinburgh in 2011.