Inua Ellams' BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES Lifts The Curtain On A Universal Meeting Space For Black Men
Following two sold-out runs at The National Theatre in London, a successful run at London's Roundhouse, and a world tour, Nigerian-born playwright Inua Ellams' acclaimed Barber Shop Chronicles makes its New York and BAM debut December 3-8. The sold-out sensation explores the diversity of Black male identity via the intimate community of the barber shop, where men across the African diaspora have gathered for generations to discuss the world and their lives. Filled with passion, humor, and honesty, the celebrated work is inspired by Ellams' own experiences as an immigrant.
Directed by Bijan Sheibani, Barber Shop Chronicles follows the conversations and concerns of a group of African men as they interact in six different barber shops in London, Lagos, Johannesburg, Accra, Kampala, and Harare. The all-male, 12-person cast riffs on topics both personal and political-from sports to race relations to views about fatherhood, identity, immigration, and masculinity. Music and dance knit together the individual episodes in this fast-paced production. A mastery of humor, pace, and wit, the story takes place over a single day as characters, jokes, and plotlines traverse continents and cultures.
Barber Shop Chronicles is presented in its New York premiere at Next Wave 2019-the first season under Artistic Director David Binder, in which all artists are making BAM debuts. The season runs through December 2019 and includes theater, dance, music, film, site-specific, and multi-genre work across BAM's venues and off-site, as well as Holiday programming. www.bam.org/barbershopchronicles
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