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Gbolahan Obisesan

GBOLAHAN OBISESAN

  
Nationality:    British
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    The Agency (London) Ltd  

Gbolahan Obisesan is a writer and director. His plays have been staged at the Soho Theatre, the Young Vic, the Unicorn and the Bush Theatre, amongst others. He won the 2009 Jerwood Directors' Award at the Young Vic.

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

         Feast         Frog March         Home         How Nigeria Became: A Story and a Spear That Didnt Work         Ignition         Mad About the Boy         Pigeon English         Pride         Re:Exhibit         Regeneration

Feast

Synopsis:
On their way to a family dinner, three sisters are divided at a crossroads. From Nigeria in the 1700s through Brazil, Cuba and the USA to London in 2013, the sisters survive by their spirits - spirits of courage, mischief and incredible resilience

Notes:
written by Yunior Garcia Aguilera (Cuba), Rotimi Babatunde (Nigeria), Marcos Barbosa (Brazil), Tanya Barfield (US) and Gbolahan Obisesan (UK).

1st Produced:

Organisations:
A Young Vic and Royal Court co-production

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 with music

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  5            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Frog March

Synopsis:
Gbolahan Obisesan's play gives voice to characters from a forgotten London. Frog March finds the scraps of hope in a world where money doesn't come easy and survival is the only priority

Notes:
part of writer's block

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Operating 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:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Home

Synopsis:
It engages with key social, architectural and political issues using residential towers, which are about to demolished, as the props. It gives a voice to the local community and engages with heartfelt local problems.the three tower blocks of the Beaumont Estate in Leyton which have dominated the local skyline for decades will be pulled down in 2006 as part of London Mayor Ken Livingstone's regeneration scheme for the area. But before the controversial destruction takes place, a brand new play inspired by the experiences of local residents will be performed in a vacated flat of St. Catherine's Tower.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
East London Tower Block Theatre    18 Jan 2006

Organisations:
Offstage 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:
Site Specific

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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How Nigeria Became: A Story and a Spear That Didnt Work

Synopsis:
It's 1914, one hundred years ago exactly, and Nigeria is about to be formed. Herbert and his well-known troupe of female actors are preparing to stage a story for the British Governor and his wife. The story of the Spear of Shango is about a brave young woman who must use her strength and agility to save her father's kingdom. But there's a problem, the story doesn't quite fit with the governor's vision of a united country. This colourful and quick-witted production offers a creative insight into Nigeria's beginnings in 1914.

Notes:
commemorates the centenary of Nigeria as part of Black History Month at the Unicorn.

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

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Ignition

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Ignition returns for its third year, a week of brilliant new work, created from scratch, by the most exciting writers, actors and directors in dream combinations. Confirmed contributors include Jack Thorne and Hamish Pirie, Che Walker working with Omar Lyefook; Tim Price and Polly Findlay; Lydia Adetunji and Laura Farnworth; Jon Cooper; Gareth Farr; Kenny Emson and Laura Kriefman; Gbolahan Obisesan Tim Cowbury and Alice Lacey.

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:
piece

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Mad About the Boy

Mad About the Boy
Boy. Dad. Man. A lyrical tussle of will and minds. Boy wants to be bad like the rest. Dad wants the best for the boy. Man wants the boy to do whats best. A timely, urgent, razor-sharp Drama about a teenage boy fighting to save his reputation, torn between the influence of his family, his friends and his school. Questioning where responsibility lies, Mad About the Boy explores the growing divide between the generations who gave, those who earned, and those who demand respect.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Udderbelly's Pasture, Edinburgh Fringe    Aug 2011

Organisations:
Iron Shoes

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 60 min

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Pigeon English

Synopsis:
A story of our time; of teenage woes, knife crime and Chicken Joe's. Open your windows and turn it up, summer has arrived and it's about to get hot. Adapted by Gbolahan Obisesan from the Man Booker Prize shortlisted novel by Stephen Kelman, Pigeon English is a co-commission by Bristol Old Vic Young Company and the National Youth theatre. Featuring beatboxing, free running and heart-breaking humour, Pigeon English is a mesmerising depiction of a boy walking a tightrope towards manhood. Eleven-year old Harri is blind to danger approaching and is drawn into actions that shape his world irrevocably.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Underbelly, Cowgate, Edinburgh Festival Fringe    Aug 2013

Organisations:
Bristol Old Vic Young Company and National 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

Booksellers:

Genre:
drama, hip hop/breakin' 1 hour 30 minutes

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Pride

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
part of 7:1 Beyond control. 7 prestigious writers. 7 short plays. 7 deadly sins. This collection of plays focusses on the Seven Deadly Sins And their effects on human nature. these plays offer us the opportunity to form fresh perspectives on modern issues concerning our moral values And how they Affect our family, social And work relationships.

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Golden Delilah

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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Re:Exhibit

Synopsis:
imagining a black actor auditioning for Brett Baileys Exhibit B, cancelled at the Barbican last autumn after being accused of racism (shes asked to portray indifferent melancholy but told to keep her mouth shut). - Guardian

Notes:
part of "Walking the Tightrope: The tension between art and politics"

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Offstage Theatre Production, in association with Theatre Uncut

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:
10 min political play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:

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Regeneration

Synopsis:
Tony wants her real father back in her life and won't stop until she succeeds.

Notes:
A play from the Royal Court's Young Writers Programme project, Critical Mass

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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