Benjamin Zephaniah’s Refugee Boy comes to the West Yorkshire Playhouse stage
Refugee Boy - West Yorkshire Playhouse
For the first time the work of two of the UK’s most prolific and revered poets is coming together on stage at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.
A newly commissioned adaptation of Benjamin Zephaniah’s powerful novel Refugee Boy has been created by the Playhouse with award-winning poet, playwright and performer Lemn Sissay and will be performed from March 9-30.
Sissay’s stage version of Zephaniah’s gripping tale charting one boy’s courageous fight for recognition reflects Lemn’s own journey to discover his past.
Of Ethiopian and Eritrean heritage Sissay describes himself as Habersha, and like Zephaniah’s protagonist, was brought up in the social care system in the UK.
Refugee Boy paints a realistic, painful but hopeful picture of the challenges facing a young refugee alone in a strange country. The adaptation is directed by West Yorkshire Playhouse’s Gail McIntyre.
Benjamin Zephaniah is a world renowned poet, novelist, playwright, lyricist, musician, presenter and professor. His first book of poetry Pen Rhythm was published when he was 22, yet it was through the performance of his work that he revolutionised the British poetry scene.
Performing both on stage and on television he brought poetry out of the academic world and into the living-rooms of ordinary people. He is a prolific writer of poetry, novels, plays and non-fiction for both adults and children. Benjamin has performed his poetry and music throughout the world to critical acclaim. He also spends much of his time working with human rights, animal rights and other political organisations.
Lemn Sissay is a poet and a playwright and an associate artist at London’s Southbank Centre. He is author of five books of poetry spanning 25 years.
For tickets call the box office on 0113 2137700.
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Friday 24 May 2013
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