Manchester-based Feelgood Theatre is set to celebrate its 30th anniversary when it brings its production of Slave: A Question of Freedom to The Lowry, Salford next month.
Slave: A Question Of Freedom opens its tour at The Lowry where it plays from Wednesday 9thto Saturday 12th October. It then visits Bristol Tobacco Factory, Shakespeare North Playhouse and Riverside Studios London.
The production tells the story of Mende Nazer based on her book, co-written with Damien Lewis, of surviving rape and slavery in Sudan, before becoming an asylum seeker in the UK and building her life. She currently works as a nurse and is donating money to the Nuba villages in Sudan to buy food.
With Black History Month and Anti-Slavery day both taking place in October, and with Anti-Slavery symposiums taking place at each of the venues, this is a timely return for the multi-award winning play.
Notable castings include Yolande Ovide playing Mende who has just finished a season with Chester Storyhouse working on the much acclaimed Gangs of New York and Importance of Being Earnest.
Chris Jack is the other co-lead as Ba (Mende’s Father) whose previous credits include the national tour of Noughts and Crosses with Pilot as Kamal Hadley and Ebony Feare who has just finished the arena tour of Peter Pan as Tinkerbell.
Joseph Jordan, Oluwalonimi Owoyemi, Mohand Abdalrahem, Teddy Oyediran, Sara Faraj and Darlene Sananguari complete the cast.
Dr Caroline Clegg, the artistic director of Feelgood Productions and the Director of Slave: A Question of Freedom, said:
“As an international cast we’re so proud to be working together to tell Mende’s story. Her indomitable spirit of survival from enslavement is a voice of hope to those who don’t feel like they have any. It was important for us in casting to be reflective of the ages of those involved at the time and we’re thrilled to see the actors learning the traditions and culture of the Nuba tribes with the room buzzing with creativity, drumming and singing. We welcome Mohand who is from the north of Sudan and we’re delighted to be welcoming back Ebony Feare who played Kheko and Mende in 2010/1, who were both very close to Mende. Ebony returns to play Kheko alongside Chris Jacks who originally played Babo, the son and now returns to play Ba the father. It reminds us of not only how the production has moved on, but also our own stories in our own lives.”
Listings:
The Lowry, Salford
Wednesday 9th to Saturday 12th October
Access Performances: Audio Described, Sat 12 Oct 7.30pm (Tour Tour 6.30pm)
https://thelowry.com/whats-on/slave-a-question-of-freedom/
