Inua Ellam’s ‘Barber Shop Chronicles’ to embark on extensive UK tour in Spring 2019

Photo by Marc Brenner

Following two sold out runs at the National Theatre, acclaimed performances at West Yorkshire Playhouse (now Leeds Playhouse), and successful tours in Australia and New Zealand, Inua Ellams’ celebrated new play, Barber Shop Chronicles, will now embark on an extensive UK tour in Spring 2019.

A co-production between Fuel, the National Theatre and Leeds Playhouse, the tour will visit Manchester, Leicester, Scarborough, Bristol, Sheffield, Leeds, Oxford and Southampton, with further venues to be announced soon.


Photo by Marc Brenner


Kate McGrath, Director of Fuel, has also confirmed a national partnership to support the tour with Leeds Playhouse, Birmingham Rep, Bristol Old Vic and the Royal Exchange Theatre and Contact in Manchester, alongside a grant from Arts Council England.

This support will help the production to attract new, young and diverse audiences with a minimum of 10% of all available tickets to be made available for free via local engagement initiatives aimed at young people who traditionally wouldn’t attend theatre performances.



Newsroom, political platform, local hot-spot, confession box, preacher-pulpit and football stadium – for generations, African men have gathered in barber shops to discuss the world.

This dynamic play journeys from a barber shop in London, to Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lagos and Accra. These are places where the banter can be barbed and the truth is always telling.


Photo by Marc Brenner


The production is directed by Bijan Sheibani, designed by Rae Smith, with lighting design by Jack Knowles, movement direction by Aline David and sound design by Gareth Fry.


For more information on dates, and to book tickets, please Click Here.

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