Koro Will Tour 1884 This Autumn

Koro, a brand new production company specialising in immersive and interactive theatre, tours its critically acclaimed playable theatre piece, 1884, this autumn. The tour includes HOME Manchester, Warwick Arts Centre in Coventry, Carrow House in Norwich (as part of Norwich Theatre Beyond), and the Wellcome Collection in London. Created by a team of creatives led by award-nominated playwright, Rhianna Ilube, 1884 is an immersive game-theatre show inspired by the legacy of the 1884 Berlin Conference, an often-overlooked historical turning point for the African continent and the world.

Taking place in a modern fictionalised setting named Wilhelm Street, 1884 isn't a history lesson – it's a fun, fast-paced, and thought-provoking journey where play and protest meet. Played around tables, participants form small family groups, collaborate on playful activities, and make choices about how to build their family community and make their house a home. However, as rules are gradually imposed on the groups and it becomes increasingly clear that not everything is within their control, they must decide how to respond. 1884 asks: how is history recorded, and who is left outside of the room where history is written?

Somewhere nearby, there's a meeting going on. A very important meeting. Run by very important people. Making very important decisions about your lives. But you and your family are not allowed inside… 

Co-created by artists, historians and activists, 1884 is a groundbreaking game-theatre show inspired by the impact and legacy of the 1884 Berlin Conference which contributed to the carving up of the African continent by colonial powers. The experience invites audience members to build a community and connect with strangers, ultimately exploring the ways in which anti-colonial resistance movements have been excluded from our public history and collective historical narrative, and how this omission highlights a glaring oversight in how we memorialise the impacts of colonialism.

Co-creator, writer and project director Rhianna Ilube commented: "1884 was inspired by the work of activists from the African diaspora in Berlin who have been raising awareness about how Germany has largely erased the memory of its role in the colonisation of Africa. I wanted to bring the story of the 1884 conference to the UK, but the nature and impact of this show has gone much further than I could've imagined. 1884, created over a year of debates, experimentation and playtests with Coney and amazing creative collaborators, touches on the heart of crucial questions about land ownership, memorial cultures, decolonisation, gentrification, protest and more. I'm so proud that it will be experienced - and shaped - by even more audiences across the UK and in Athens this autumn, and I am happy that Koro is taking the show forward.”

Led by artistic director Marie Klimis, Koro is a new production company specialising in grassroots immersive, interactive, and site-specific theatre. Continuing the legacy of former game-makers and co-creators of 1884 Coney, Koro create, produce, and tour shows that place the audience at the heart of the storytelling experience, with work that centres on urgent contemporary narratives that reflect society and history. Koro will launch a new biennial festival of socially-engaged immersive and site-specific theatre in 2027, with a special focus on celebrating the voices of migrant and global majority theatremakers. 

Acclaimed playwright, theatre-maker, and film programmer, Rhianna Ilube has recently been selected to join the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program at Juilliard in New York. She was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Playwriting, and Highly Commended for the Soho Theatre's Verity Bargate Award (Samuel Takes a Break… - The Yard Theatre, 2024). Rhianna is currently writer-on-attachment at The Royal Court Theatre, and an alumna of the Royal Court Writers Group and the Oxford Playmakers. 

Performance director Tatenda Shamiso won the Emerging Talent Award at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2023 (NO I.D. - Royal Court, 2023), and was the Associate Director on the West End return of For Black Boys… (Garrick Theatre, 2024).