Celebrates the camaraderie and intimacy of black barbershops in Africa and England. On stage, the shops come alive… There is dancing, there are tears, there are secrets shared.
The Boston globe
Newsroom and political platform, confession box and stadium—for generations, barber shops have been places where African men gather to discuss the world. Leaping from London to Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lagos, and Accra, Inua Ellams’ dynamic new play traces the global ties between these spaces where the banter can be barbed and the truth is always telling. Barber Shop Chronicles arrives in Cambridge as part of its US premiere tour following critically acclaimed runs at London’s National Theatre and the West Yorkshire Playhouse.
By Inua Ellams
Directed by Bijan Sheibani
Design by Rae Smith
A Fuel, National Theatre, and West Yorkshire Playhouse co-production
Notable dates
Opening Night: 12/7
Barber Night: 12/18
Audio Described: 12/21 at 7:30PM & 12/22 at 2PM
Open Captioned: 12/20 at 7:30PM & 12/22 at 2PM
Talkbacks: 12/8 at 2PM; 12/12 at 11AM; 12/15, 12/19, & 1/5 at 2PM
Additional Production Support
The Hutchins Center for African & African American Research
Harvard University Center for African Studies
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Creative Team
Cast

Wallace/Timothy/Mohammed/Tinashe
Tuwaine Barrett

Wallace/Timothy/Mohammed/Tinashe
Tuwaine Barrett
A.R.T.: Barber Shop Chronicles. Theater: Blue Orange, Soho Theatre; A Streetcar Named Desire, A Season in the Congo, Young Vic; The Alchemist, Macbeth, A Life of the Mind, Ghosts, Othello, If You Don’t Let Us Dream, We Won’t Let You Sleep, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. TV: “Rellik,” “A Discovery of Witches,” “Silent Witness.” Film: Drop. Training: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.

Samuel
Elliot Edusah

Samuel
Elliot Edusah
A.R.T.: Barber Shop Chronicles. Theater: The Taming of the Shrew, Suckerpunch, All’s Well That Ends Well, The Flick, LAMDA; As You Like It, The Brit School; Heartfelt, Theatre Royal Stratford East. Training: LAMDA.

Musa/Andile/Mensah
Maynard Eziashi

Musa/Andile/Mensah
Maynard Eziashi
A.R.T.: Barber Shop Chronicles. Theater: The Winter’s Tale, Pericles, Season of Migration to the North, Royal Shakespeare Company; Free Fall, Pleasance; Faith v Reason, Bush Theatre; A Jamaican Airman Foresees His Death, Royal Court; A Respectable Wedding, Almeida. TV: “Bad Boys,” “The Changeling,” “Hallelujah Anyhow.” Film: The Contract, Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang), Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.

Ethan
Alhaji Fofana

Ethan
Alhaji Fofana
A.R.T.: Barber Shop Chronicles. TV: “Silent Witness,” “Holby City,” BBC; “Josh,” “Siblings,” BBC3; “Brotherhood,” Big Talk/Comedy Central; “Youngers” (series regular, series 2), Big Talk/E4. Film: Screwball (Ryan, 2017 Children’s BAFTA Award).

Winston/Shoni
Solomon Israel

Winston/Shoni
Solomon Israel
A.R.T.: Barber Shop Chronicles. Theater: The Fantastic Follies of Mrs. Rich, The Duchess of Malfi, Miss Littlewood, Kingdom Come, Twelfth Night, The Comedy of Errors, The Tempest, Royal Shakespeare Company; The Pulverised, Arcola/York Theatre Royal; Dutchman, Young Vic; Octagon, Arcola; I Know All the Secrets in My World, Tiata Fahodzi; Chigger Foot Boys, Ovalhouse; Juicy and Delicious, Nuffield Southampton; Taking Steps, Old Laundry Theatre. TV: “Lovesick,” “Doctor Who,” “I Live With Models,” “Josh,” “Brothers with No Game,” “Law & Order: UK,” “Holby City,” “Quick Cuts.” Radio: Three Strong Women, BBC. Training: LAMDA.

Tanaka/Fifi
Mohammed Mansaray

Tanaka/Fifi
Mohammed Mansaray
A.R.T.: Barber Shop Chronicles. Theater: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Sheffield Crucible; lead roles in Mrs. Dalloway, Jekyll & Hyde, Othello, National Youth Theatre’s Rep West End Season; Oliver!, Theatre Royal Drury Lane; Daddy Cool, Shaftesbury Theatre, World Tour. TV: “Tracey Beaker Returns,” CBBC; “Law & Order: UK,” “The Bill,” ITV. Film: My Brother the Devil, Rock Rest Entertainment.

Tokunbo/Paul/Simphiwe
Patrice Naiambana

Tokunbo/Paul/Simphiwe
Patrice Naiambana
A.R.T.: Barber Shop Chronicles. Theater: The Man Who Committed Thought (Fringe First); New Nigerians, Arcola; The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, Femi Elufowoju Jnr Ensemble; The Caretaker, Bristol Old Vic; The Duchess of Malfi (Iyalode of Eti), Utopia Theatre; Othello, The Histories Cycle, The Spanish Tragedy, Cymbeline, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, Royal Shakespeare Company; Pericles, Shakespeare’s Globe; Coriolanus (dir. Steven Berkoff), West Yorkshire Playhouse; Tell Them That I’m Young and Beautiful (with Marcello Magni), Ragamuffin, Double Edge Theatre. TV: “The Bible,” “Torchwood,” “Silent Witness,” “Casualty,” “In Exile.” Film: Turn up Charlie, Spectre, Monochrome, Schweitzer. Founder of Tribal Soul Arts.

Emmanuel
Anthony Ofoegbu

Emmanuel
Anthony Ofoegbu
A.R.T.: Barber Shop Chronicles. Theater: Circle Mirror Transformation, HOME Manchester; Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar, Antony & Cleopatra, The Royal Shakespeare Company Rome Season 2017-2018; Twelfth Night, Nottingham Playhouse; Death and the King’s Horseman, National Theatre; Twelfth Night, Royal Theatre Northampton; Oedipus at Colonus, Nevada Conservatory Theatre; Treemonisha, Hackney Empire, Battersea Arts Centre; The Beatification of Area Boy, West Yorkshire Playhouse, World Tour. TV: “Moonfleet,” “Spooks,” “Casualty,” “Chambers,” “Family Affairs,” “The Bill.” Film: Justified, Bad Day, Dead Room, Plato’s Breaking Point, The Killing Zone, Samson and Delilah.

Kwame/Fabrice/Brian
Kenneth Omole

Kwame/Fabrice/Brian
Kenneth Omole
A.R.T.: Barber Shop Chronicles. Theater: Assata Taught Me, Gate Theatre; The Cane, Bush Theatre; This Language, Edinburgh Fringe. Honors: Best Actor, Winner, 2017 Stage Debut Awards. Training: Rose Bruford Drama School.

Olawale/Wole/Kwabena/Simon
Ekow Quartey

Olawale/Wole/Kwabena/Simon
Ekow Quartey
A.R.T.: Barber Shop Chronicles. Theater: Amadeus, Peter Pan, As You Like It, National Theatre; People, Places & Things, National Theatre/Headlong/Exeter Northcott; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Theatre Royal Bath; Richard II, Shakespeare’s Globe; The Absence of War, Headlong, UK Tour; Spring Awakening, Headlong/West Yorkshire Playhouse, UK Tour; Long Story Short, Pleasance Theatre; Eye of a Needle, Southwark Playhouse. TV: “Call the Midwife,” BBC; “Enterprice,” BBC3; “Porters.” Film: Undercliffe; Zapped; The Current War; Titus Andronicus (with Peter Capaldi) for Shakespeare’s Globe. Honors: 2015 Ian Charleson Award.

Elnathan/Benjamin/Dwain
Jo Servi

Elnathan/Benjamin/Dwain
Jo Servi
A.R.T. Barber Shop Chronicles. Theater: Chess, London Coliseum; The Life, Southwark Playhouse; Dirty Dancing, UK & European Tour; Sunny Afternoon, Harold Pinter Theatre; City of Angels, Donmar Warehouse; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Regent’s Park; Jersey Boys, Prince Edward Theatre; Before the Dawn – Kate Bush, Hammersmith Apollo; The Enchanted Pig, New Victory Theater; The Human Comedy, Young Vic/Watford Palace; Guys and Dolls, Jailhouse Rock, Ragtime, Piccadilly Theatre; Cinderella, Old Vic Theatre; Disney’s The Lion King, Lyceum Theatre. TV: “The Royal Variety Performance,” Granada. Film: Muppets: Most Wanted, Disney; Saturday Live, Triffic Films.

Abram/Ohene/Sizwe
David Webber

Abram/Ohene/Sizwe
David Webber
A.R.T.: Barber Shop Chronicles. Theater: Death and the King’s Horseman, Leave Taking, National Theatre; The Hudsucker Proxy, Nuffield Southampton, Liverpool Playhouse; Catch-22, Northern Stage; Sweet Bird of Youth, Old Vic; Government Inspector, Young Vic; What’s in the Cat for Contact, Royal Court; One Love, Bristol Old Vic, Talawa; The Big Life, Apollo, West End. TV: “Chewing Gum,” “Prime Suspect,” “Youngers,” “Nan,” “The Royal Bodyguard,” “How Not to Live Your Life,” “Being Human.” Film: Captain Phillips, The Children Act, Broken, Tipping the Velvet, The 51st State, Among Giants, The Avengers, Getting Hurt. Training: Rose Bruford Drama School.
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