In Once Upon a Time in Sokoto at Nottingham Playhouse, tense beaten rhythms intertwine with the voices of joyous ululation as relationships are continually tested in Northern Nigeria at the turn of the 20th century. Zinara and Nafisa juxtapose their tales about the slaver and the enslaved, husband and wives, the Boko language and cowrie shells - all of which are underpinned by the power and riches of the colour indigo.
It is really unusual to break the fourth wall not only for the wonderful cast of four to introduce themselves, but also for them to give a breakdown of the play you are about to see and for them to share three to four options on how you will receive and critique it in real time. To top it all off, we are invited to participate in a version of the traditional Nigerian call, “Story-story!” and response, “Story!” Repeated throughout the production, this serves as a grounding mantra because, “things would be moving at pace”, requiring us to, “keep up”. Having previously programmed Inua Ellams’ early solo-touring work at Nottingham Playhouse, witnessing his storytelling return to this stage on such an epic scale felt magical. This meant that the already alert audience, perhaps poised for a conventional history lesson on Ellams’ version of Chinua Achebe’s Nigeria, was in for a differently layered experience.
Indigo lighting by Neill Brinkworth overlaps with deep purples and navy blues, sweeping through to evoke a textured sense of space and time. Natural hemp rope delineates household rooms, while tall grass plants, and versatile wooden structures form the full-bodied set designed by Amelia Jane Hankin The royal energy within the dyed fabrics and lighting settles the space for the epic to unfold. There is an immediate affinity with the indigo cloth my mum recently brought from Nigeria for me, mirrored as Zinari (Antonia Layiwola) and her father (Will Atiomo) step into the opening scene in fine Indigo clothing designed by Jessica Cabassa.
While intergenerational relationships play a culturally significant role, the heart of this story explores how relational power grows between two Black women Zinari and Nafisa (Adeola Yemitan). Both carry their strength physically and vocally, defying the familiar reductive tropes often used against Global Majority women. Their presence is viewed as a threat in the marital home, across their community, and by both the Sokoto Caliphate leadership and encroaching British Forces. Rather than succumbing to being forcibly disciplined through patriarchal means (using violence to strip them of their voice and resilience), both women independently wield weaponry to protect their vulnerability, using language, sound and movement to educate and exact change under the assured direction of Roy Alexander Weise MBE.
Nafisa’s movement, directed by Coral Messam, conveys messages like Morse code, contrasting with the more poignant flow of the marriage ceremony between Nafisa and Hadiru
Multiple languages populate the space, reflecting Fulani townspeople, Arab traders and British soldiers. Nafisa is devoted to teaching local women the Hausa language to empower them in business, where indigo was the region’s primary trade long before the impact of the 1884 Berlin Conference imposed resource extraction and forced labour. Cast members periodically breach the fourth wall to offer modern translations of pre-colonial concepts or punctuate moments or insert the historical context of Hong Kong Shanghai Bank corporation - as well as reminding us to keep up.
“Once Upon a Time” is used to signal traditional folktales, yet this production’s expansive title immediately flips the script. Ellams refers to the philosophy of Nigerian-Finnish author of Sensuous Knowledge, Minna Salami, of removing the ritual duality of good and evil or war and peace, so that no-one comes away as the winner. Modern echoes of Boko Haram and the Chibok abductions of 2014 are balanced by Femi Temowo’s sound design with modern jazz and Hausa influences. Nafisa’s movement, directed by Coral Messam, conveys messages like Morse code, contrasting with the more poignant flow of the marriage ceremony between Nafisa and Hadiru (Bayo Gbadamosi). These elements translate pre-colonial history with vital currency for audiences in 2026.
As the British Forces divide tenuous regional alliances, news from Yusef about the southern ‘invasion’ echoes how Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’ navigates colonial entanglements. Where Achebe positioned his tragedy in fictional Umuofia, Ellams anchored his play in documented geographical history. By placing Nafisa and Zinari inside the Sokoto Caliphate, Weise and Ellams stake an important claim in the canon of Anglo-Nigerian theatre. It will spark everyday conversations: “Did you know that before Northern Nigeria existed, there was the Sokoto Caliphate?” or, “Were you aware that for the deepest Indigo, one must dye the thread, not just the cloth?”
Once Upon a Time in Sokoto played at Nottingham Playhouse from Thursday 29 October to Saturday 31 October 2026.
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