Ryan Calais Cameron and Monique Tuoko Revealed as Co-Directors of THE AFRONAUTS
Ryan Calais Cameron and Monique Touko will helm the Royal Court's 70th anniversary finale production.
Royal Court Theatre has announced The Afronauts writer Ryan Calais Cameron (For Black Boys…, Retrograde) and Monique Touko (Jaja's African Hair Braiding, Marie and Rosetta), as co-directors of the World Premiere play. The Afronauts marks the finale of The Royal Court Theatre's 70th anniversary, and runs from Saturday 14 November until Saturday 19 December 2026, with press night on Monday 23 November 2026.
The news comes as the Royal Court was last week awarded a Gold Award as part of the 2026 Chelsea in Bloom flower festival. Monique and Ryan are pictured alongside the winning floral arrangement which was created by Moyses Stevens. Celebrating The Afronauts, the display featured a life-size astronaut rising from Sloane Square amid a facade of African and Tropical flowers, embodying this year's ‘Out of This World' theme.
Zambia, 1964: the space race has a new contender. As the world's great powers set their sights on the moon, a schoolteacher gathers a group of misfit dreamers and trains them for lift-off. The Afronauts tells the true(ish) story of the Zambian Space Program, and a nation's defiant dream to reach for the stars.
Monique Tuoko was last at The Royal Court Theatre for World Premiere sold-out play G by Tife Kusoro and Ryan Calais Cameron is as Associate Playwright at the Royal Court, following recent West End run Retrograde.
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