News Story
Oxford Playhouse is thrilled to be part of Touring Together, a new touring initiative across the UK in collaboration with Brighton Dome, Leeds Playhouse, Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry. Led by China Plate and Fuel, the first show will be Once Upon a Time in Sokoto, presented in Autumn 2026.
Touring Together - a strategic partnership for producing and touring new midscale theatre - will bring bold new plays to audiences, creating a robust network of touring venues. With a commitment to taking new theatre of the finest quality across the country, the venues will collectively make, present and partner on the work. The initiative is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Working with exceptional artists to share new work and embrace diverse stories that shine fresh light on the world we live in, Touring Together will present a new show that will tour to all of the partner venues and beyond in October 2026 and again in the same timeframe in 2027.
Once Upon A Time in Sokoto presented by Fuel in association with Touring Together.
Credit: Malik AfegbuaThe first show will be Inua Ellams’ (Barber Shop Chronicles) Alfred Fagon Award-winning Once Upon a Time in Sokoto, directed by Ola Ince. Produced by Fuel, it will have its World Premiere at Royal & Derngate, Northampton, before playing in Oxford from Tuesday 13 to Saturday 17 October.
The award-winning Once Upon a Time in Sokoto tells the epic story of a beautiful but unlikely friendship forged between a slave and her former master. Differences in faith, culture and heritage are overcome in the face of new enemies, in a gripping family drama set against the backdrop of events leading to the creation of Nigeria.
“There are powers that bind the world together, softer than spirits yet stronger than stone, that tie the river to the tree, the tree to rain clouds, rain clouds to the land, and people to each other.”
Winner of the 2024 Alfred Fagon Award for Once Upon a Time in Sokoto, Nigeria-born Inua Ellams is an internationally celebrated poet, playwright, and artist. He has published four poetry collections and his plays include the hugely popular and critically acclaimed Barber Shop Chronicles (Fuel/National Theatre), which toured to Oxford in autumn 2019.
Touring Together
Ed Collier, Co-Artistic Director, China Plate said: "We’re so excited to be launching Touring Together today bringing independent producers together with venues across the country to make and tour new theatre. This multi year programme gives us a great opportunity to make new work with national significance, build new audiences and encourage long term theatre going habits. We’re really grateful to Arts Council England for their support for the programme. Inua Ellams’ Once Upon a Time in Sokoto is a phenomenal play to open the programme and there will be more great work to follow it, we can’t wait to give you more news later in the year! See you on tour in the autumn!"
Kate McGrath, Artistic Director & CEO, Fuel said: “We know from experience that commitment to relationships with partners and communities over time yields fruit. Touring Together aims to build on existing collaborations to produce new work for a wide and diverse audiences, through long-term partnership with venues and extensive engagement programmes around the shows themselves. Touring Together will enable us all to explore new ways of working, and we are actively looking for opportunities to connect and share what we learn. We’re also thrilled that the very first Touring Together show will be the World Premiere of Inua Ellams’ new play, which Fuel has commissioned and developed with care and excitement, and we can’t wait to share with the world.”
Katy Snelling, Director of Programmes, Oxford Playhouse said: "We're thrilled to be part of Touring Together, working in collaboration with six brilliant partners to counter the decline in new writing on stages around the UK, especially in the regions outside of London. This way of working allows us to present new, relevant and exciting plays to the diverse communities that make up our city and county, inspiring conversations and connections in a way that only theatre can.”
