Written by Amantha Edmead, directed by Euton Daley MBE, and inspired by the storytelling traditions of the West African Griot, SOLD tells the true story of Mary Prince, an enslaved African heritage woman born in the British colony of Bermuda.
She went on to become an autobiographer and champion of freedom. Her book had an electrifying effect on the abolitionist movement, helping to free many Africans in bondage. Her words, of the harsh realities of enslavement, and how it felt to be separated from loved ones and to be owned, bought and sold, gave voice to those that are often silent, silenced, ignored or spoken for.
Kuumba Nia Arts and Unlock the Chains Collective tell this forgotten story through song, live drumming and dance.
For the 2023 tour, the two-hand cast features the actor and Amra Anderson, an established name in the world music scene, having graced many national and international stages as a dancer, performer and percussionist.
Lola, recently appeared as Dido in Dash Art’s ‘Dido’s Bar’, and in the acclaimed ‘Protests, Hymns and Caskets’ at the Coventry Shoot Festival. Amra recently toured with the legendary Afro-beats band Osibisa promoting their new album.
SOLD has won five awards and is returning to London, from a successful international tour and as part of a tour to the southeast of England, for the first time since winning OFFie awards in 2022 for Lead and Supporting Performances in a Play. With House Southeast Theatre Network, the show is visiting 18 venues in the southeast from Norfolk to Hampshire, and Oxfordshire to Kent.
The show takes on even greater resonance as we move into the 75th anniversary of the Windrush ship’s arrival. Today more people and institutions scrutinise the origins of their wealth to discover connections with the Transatlantic Slave Trade and are working towards making reparations, most recently, the Mayor of London, Cambridge University and the Guardian newspaper.
