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Oladipo Agboluaje

OLADIPO AGBOLUAJE

  (1968 - )
Nationality:    English
email:    Click here to contact     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    Independent Talent Group Limited  

Oladipo Agboluaje is a British playwright. He was born in Hackney and educated in Britain and Nigeria, studying Theatre Arts at the University of Benin. He later wrote a doctoral thesis at the Open University on West and South African drama. Wikipedia

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below is a list of Oladipo Agboluaje's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         British-Ish         Captain Britain         Children's Monologues, The         Christ Of Coldharbour Lane, The         Early Morning         Estate, The         For One Night Only         Garbage King, The         God Is A DJ         Hounding Of David Oluwale, The         Immune         Iya-Ile (the First Wife)         Knock Against My Heart         Mother Courage And Her Children         New Nigerians         Road Taken, The - Tiata Delights         Rough Cuts         Set Piece         Unzipped         Wish Collector, The
British-Ish

Synopsis:
"British is a nation, Labels, just confuse the situation, This Britishness, more British, Is what it seems to me". Dave, an english teenager from the countryside, meets streetwise urbanite aisha on a journey of cultural self-discovery. This thought-provoking dynamic, highly physical and musically rich production has been devised by the Company, taking as their starting point the acutely topical question 'What does it mean to be British?'

Notes:
scripted by Oladipo Agboluaje, music by Pat Whymark; choreographer Rebecca Harbour

1st Produced:
Ipswich: New Wolsey Youth Theatre, Uk     03 Jun 2005

Organisations:
New Wolsey Youth Theatre

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Captain Britain

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Ipswich: New Wolsey Youth Theatre, Uk    

Organisations:
Talawa

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Children's Monologues, The

Synopsis:
Dramatic Need (DN) is a UK-registered charity that sends international Arts professionals to do workshops in underprivileged and rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Gifted, heavyweight actors will perform monologues written by Lynn Nottage, Bola agbaje, Polly Stenham, Dennis Kelly, Gabriel Bisset-Smith, Oladipo agboluaje, Zawe ashton, Joel Horwood, anya Reiss and Jamie Minoprio, based on autobiographical stories written by the some of the children DN works with.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
short monologue

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Christ Of Coldharbour Lane, The

Christ Of Coldharbour Lane, The
a revolutionary preacher begs the crowds to 'abandon the wilful peace' that keeps them down. He hies to make them believe that things could be different. But when people pray only for a brand new car or a large KFC bucket, the citizens of Brixton need a miracle to happen . . .

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Soho Theatre, London, Eur >>>     31 May 2007

Organisations:
Soho Theatre

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Early Morning

Early Morning
early one morning in the City of London, dissent in the ranks reaches fever pitch. Ojo, Kola and Mama Paul decide they have had enough of picking up other people's rubbish. But they're not going to strike - they're going to start the revolution. and the revolution starts Right Now. early Morning is a vibrant satirical comedy about three Nigerian office cleaners who mount a coup to take over the world. Based on personal experiences, early Morning is a joyous and colourful mix of Yoruba and english popular theatre that both vents the frustrations of London's Nigerian community and celebrates its valuable contribution to London life

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Oval House Theatre, London >>>     12 Mar 2003

Organisations:
FutureTense

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
satirical comedy

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Estate, The

Estate, The
a powerful yet comic tale of explosive family secrets and the dead hand of a corrupt patriarchy. Inspired by Chekhov but set in contemporary Lagos, Nigeria, Chief (Mrs) adeyemi is engulfed in burial arrangements for her recently deceased husband, an influential entrepreneur with an extended family scattered across the globe. His children arrive from abroad to hear their father's Will. as they divide his estate an unnatural turn of events takes place and sparks begin to fly.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Ipswich: New Wolsey Theatre, Uk     11 May 2006

Organisations:
Tiata Fahodzi (Theatre of the emancipated)

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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For One Night Only

Synopsis:
follows Eddie and Bode, nely arrived on fake passports, and their attempt to get to Covent Garden and find fame as African drummers.
- Siobhan Murphy, Metro London

Notes:
part of Footprints in the Sand

1st Produced:
The Hawth, Crawley, West Sussex     07 Oct 2005

Organisations:
Pursued By a Bear

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
One act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Garbage King, The

Garbage King, The
When Mamo meets Dani in a graveyard in Addis Ababa, he sees a spoiled little rich boy. To someone whos been abandoned on the city streets and forced to flee child-traffickers, it seems that only a fool would run away from such a privileged life. But the two runaways turn out to have more in common than they first imagine, and soon strike up an unlikely friendship. and when the struggle for survival draws them into a street gang, they rapidly find themselves entirely dependent on their ties to their gang-mates, and one another.

Notes:
Based on the novel "The Garbage King" by Elizabeth Laird

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Oxford University Press 2013   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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God Is A DJ

Synopsis:
This is a journey into sound. Fasten your seat belt and be prepared for the globe trotting musical ride of your life. the politicians play DJ day after day, spinning you their remix, their cut, their tracks. Now its time for the ultimate mix, the original authentic sound. the Truth. God is a DJ takes you on an adventure across the continents. Unconnected people in unconnected circumstances come together and learn from each other on this textured landscape of music we commonly know as earth. Nothing touches us like music, Hard Rock, Hip Hop, Trip Hop, R and B Country, Punky, Funky, Folk, Soul not forgetting Rock and Roll. everyone everywhere feels something. Get ready to read between the bars and feel between the beats as we find out if God is a DJ.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Theatre Centre

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Piece

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  3            Other:  with doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Hounding Of David Oluwale, The

Hounding Of David Oluwale, The
4 May 1969, the body of David Oluwale is pulled from the River aire in Leeds. eighteen months later, the investigation into his death ripped apart the police force, exposing the dark side of the shiny, new city in which he died. as police broke ranks to expose the two officers eventually prosecuted for involvement in Oluwale's death, the horrific details emerged; of how an optimistic, ambitious Nigerian had arrived in the UK, only to become the destitute victim of police brutality.

Notes:
Through the Hounding of David Oluwale, An Adaptation of Kester Aspden's critically Acclaimed text, Agboluaje uses carefully selected Accounts of Oluwale's life to reveal how An optimistic And much loved showman who loved to dance, became the tragic victim of police persecution And brutality.

1st Produced:

Organisations:
WYP, the New Wolsey Theatre and Birmingham Rep as part of the eclipse Theatre Initiative

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  2            Other:  extras

Further Reference:
-

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Immune

Immune
An ordinary school day. But today, there is no going home. When the rest of the world has forgotten your existence, where do you run when the Apocalypse looms? The dock? The navy base? Or do you just sit tight and ride the whole thing out? In a city overcome with death, we are finally forced to start living. A provocative and darkly comic new play, by award-winning playwright Oladipo Agboluaje, exploring our technological dependency, social resilience and the need to belong.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
TYA Sci Fi

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  7            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Iya-Ile (the First Wife)

Iya-Ile (the First Wife)
Lagos, 1989. Political hysteria and social change are sweeping Nigeria. Chief adeyemi's wife Toyin is turning forty and, behind the mansion walls, the household is preparing for her party. their troublesome sons, back from college, are more interested in seduction and starting revolutions that their parents' disintegrating marriage. Meanwhile Helen, the ambitious housegirl, is waiting for her chance. . .Prequel to 'the estate'.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Soho Theatre, London, Eur >>>     14 May 2009

Organisations:
Tiata Fahodzi and Soho Theatre

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  9            Female:  3            Other:  doubling

Further Reference:
-

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Knock Against My Heart

Synopsis:
It takes its inspiration from Shakespeare's the Tempest but, though its characters carry the names of Prospero, Miranda, Caliban and antonio, has only the very slightest connection with it. Prospero, as in Shakespeare's play, is a possessive and protective Father to daughter Miranda but no banished Duke. "Why do you knock against my heart?" asks Miranda, "when ail I ask is that you love me?" Prospero seems to have left the city because his family's business has failed due to his brother antonio's mismanagement. Now he is making himself a power base in the countryside by outwitting the indigenous population. "I am the biggest employer," he declares. "I brought civilization to this backwater." But he is not a beneficent figure: he has plans to pump away the river water and, by controlling water, gain control of the land. He is up against Caliban, a Candomble priest, at one with the environment and a defender of his people and their land. Prospero is also exploiting his brother with promises he never intends to keep. antonio meanwhile encourages Miranda to break free while trying to outwit his brother, and Miranda and Caliban are in love.
- Howard Loxton, British theatre Guide

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Theatre Centre with Nos do Morro

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
60 min Drama One act

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Mother Courage And Her Children

Synopsis:
changes the setting from Middle europe during the Thirty Years War to West Africa amis the continuing unrest in the region.

Notes:
Original Playwright - Bertolt Brecht. A West African Adaptation

1st Produced:
Eclipse Theatre     2004

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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New Nigerians

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Oberon Books   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Road Taken, The - Tiata Delights

Synopsis:
the Road Taken is an existential comedy about recklessness on the roads in Nigeria and its consequences

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
an earlier form of the Road Taken was published in the London Metropolitan University's the Next Wave anthology of Student Writing 1998.   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Rough Cuts

Synopsis:
Ten of Britain's leading playwrights respond to the 2010 General election. Five nights of ten minute short plays at theatre Local, elephant and Castle. Tue 22 & Thu 24 June at 7pm featuring plays by April de Angelis, Tim Crouch, Michael Wynne, Dipo agboluaje and Leo Butler. Wed 23 & Fri 25 June at 7pm featuring plays by alia Bano, Michael Bhim, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Martin Crimp and Emma Crowe. Sat 26 June at 7pm featuring all plays by the ten writers. Hung Over takes place as part of Rough Cuts, the Royal Court's annual season of work-in-progress, experimental pieces, readings and shorts. Rough Cuts emerges from the year-round activities of the Studio, providing an opportunity for emerging and established artists to develop ideas collaboratively, experimentally and informally.

Notes:
Hung Over - 10 Playwrights Respond to the 2010 election

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Ten Min

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Set Piece

Synopsis:
an uptight young British director and an egotistical Nigerian actor are in Lagos trying to film a no-budget thriller - the first "Nollywood" crossover hit - about corporate corruption and the banking crisis. their backer pulls out, but they have the brainwave to avoid engineering an expensive set piece by simply using the carnage and mayhem around them as their backdrop. Jimmy akingbola, good in many roles, is particularly great here as the booty-shaking would-be star.
- Corinne Salisbury, British theatre Guide

Notes:
Part of Soho theatre's season "everything Must Go" Short rapid response pieces relating to the economic crisis.

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Short play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Unzipped

Synopsis:
accessibility vs. authenticity: Do We Sell Out to Sellout?(Thu)/Storytelleror History Maker: Who Do You Think You are?/Post Multi-Culturalism: What Colour are You Now? Talawa's Writer's Group (TWG) returns with Unzipped 2009, an unmissable season of play readings and impassioned discussion. This year Talawa has worked with Britain's most established Black and Asian playwrights to push writing boundaries. the Group includes, amongst others, Roy Williams, Malorie Blackman, Dipo agboluaje and Kwame Kwei-armah. In return these writers will share excerpts of their most exciting work for Unzipped 2009. This will be an unforgettable series of readings that will explore the future of Black and Asian theatre as thewriters and their work seek to answer key questions facing the industry. Now in its fourth year, Unzipped has become an unforgettable and provocative event. expect unusual stories and controversial opinions. Book early to avoid disappointment.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Wish Collector, The

Wish Collector, The
A magical epic whirling from a playground in Britain to a village in Sierra Leone

Notes:
Three 30 minute plays by leading playwrights for children to act, commissioned by the Unicorn, one of the world's foremost companies creating theatre with young people. Premiered as end of year performances by primary classes, the scripts are ideal school productions or for younger youth theatre groups. they are designed to be directed by teachers or youth leaders with no previous Drama training. the book includes advice and ideas to support preparation, rehearsal and production.

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
TYA 30 min

Parts:
Male:  12            Female:  9            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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