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Wole Soyinka

WOLE SOYINKA  (1934 - )

 Nationality:    Nigerian
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    Susan Steiger  

Wole Soyinka was born on 13 July 1934 at Abeokuta, near Ibadan in western NigeriA. After preparatory university studies in 1954 at Government College in Ibadan, he continued at the University of Leeds, where, later, in 1973, he took his doctorate. During the six years spent in England, he was a Dramaturgist at the Royal Court Theatre in London 1958-1959. In 1960, he was awarded a Rockefeller bursary and returned to Nigeria to study African Drama. At the same time, he taught Drama and literature at various universities in Ibadan, Lagos, and Ife, where, since 1975, he has been professor of comparative literature. In 1960, he founded the Theatre group, "the 1960 Masks" and in 1964, the "Orisun Theatre Company", in which he has produced his own plays and taken part as actor. He has periodically been visiting professor at the universities of Cambridge, Sheffield, and Yale.
Bookcraft, the publishers of the art book, WS A Life in Full (2004), a pictorial autobiography of renowned author and Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka has agreed to donate a substantial proportion of sales revenue from the publication to the funding of the Nigerian Business Coalition Against HIV/AIDS (NIBUCAA) for the important work of fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. http://www.over2u.com/shop/wole_soyinka.php" target="_blank">African Online Shop - Wole Soyinka

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

         Bacchae, The         Beatification Of Area Boy: A Lagosian Kaleidoscope, The         Before the Blackout         Camwood On the Leaves         Childe Internationale         Dance of the Forests, A         Death and the King's Horseman         From Zia With Love         Golden Accord, The         Invention, The         Jero's Metemorphosis         King Baabu         Kongi's Harvest         Lion and the Jewel, The         Madmen and Specialists         Opera Wonyosi         Play Of Giants, A         Priority Projects         Republican and the New republican, The         Requiem For a Futurologist         Rites of the Harmattan Solstice         Road, The         Scourge of Hyacinths, A         Strong Breed, The         Swamp Dwellers, The         Thus Spake Orunmila. . .         Trials of Brother Jero, The

Bacchae, The

Synopsis:
depicts the turbulent arrival of the Dionysiac religion in Greece

Notes:
Original Playwright - Euripides

1st Produced:
London    1973

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Eyre Methuen, London, 1973   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
Communion Rite

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  1            Other:  chorus

Further Reference:
-

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Beatification Of Area Boy: A Lagosian Kaleidoscope, The

Synopsis:
Set in Nigeria, amid the scenes of everyday racketeering and general disquiet, the police try to clear the area of undesirables, as a traditional wedding between two illustrious and ambitious families is about to take place.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Courtyard, West Yorkshire    1995

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  15            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Before the Blackout

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Ibadan    1965

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Orisun, Ibadan, 1971   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Camwood On the Leaves

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
broadcast 1960

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

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Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Childe Internationale

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1964

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

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Genre:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Dance of the Forests, A

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Nigerian Independence Celebrations, Lagos    1960

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Oxford University Press, Ibadan, 1963   -

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:
African Play Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  14            Female:  3            Other:  extras

Further Reference:
-

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Death and the King's Horseman

Death and the King's Horseman
Based on real events that took place in Oyo, the ancient Yoruba city of Nigeria, in 1946, Nobel Prize-winner Wole Soyinka's play tells how Simon Pilkings, a well-meaning District Officer, intervenes to prevent the ritual suicide demanded by the death of the King. there follow drastic repercussions in both indigenous and colonial communities.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Ife-Ife    1976

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Methuen Drama    978-0413333605

Music:
-

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  8            Female:  3            Other:  extras

Further Reference:
-

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From Zia With Love

Synopsis:
Confusion and fear permeate society where the brutality and injustice of military rule is parodied by life inside prison. 'From Zia With Love' is based on events in Nigeria in the early 1980s

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    1992

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

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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/Drama

Parts:
Male:  18            Female:  3            Other:  m/f 7

Further Reference:
-

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Golden Accord, The

Synopsis:
A couple wins a game show prize when the husband breaks a very private trust. the wife responds with vengeance

Notes:
part of the American Project: A compendium of short plays

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Samuel French, Inc. in More Ten-Minute Plays from Actors Theatre of Louisville,    -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
Short Play One Act

Parts:
Male:  1            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Invention, The

Synopsis:
South African scientists experiment with chemicals to attain a final solution to the race problem.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
satirical play

Parts:
Male:  11            Female:  2            Other:  voices

Further Reference:
Wearing - the London Stage 59.238

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Jero's Metemorphosis

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
the Trials Of Brother Jero; Jero's Metamorphosis

1st Produced:
Lagos    1973

Organisations:
-

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  10            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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King Baabu

Synopsis:
Spit-roasted giraffes, cross-dressing soldiers, alcoholic civil servants and a dash of looting and torture for dessert. Another fine day in African democracy. Zimbabwe's acclaimed company premieres Nobel Laureate Wolf Soyinka's hystErical re-imagining of Jarry's Ubu Roi. Madness reigns!

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Augustine's, Edinburgh Festival    2003

Organisations:
Over the Edge Theatre Company, Zimbabwe

1st Published:

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  22            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Kongi's Harvest

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Ibadan    1964

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Oxford University Press, Ibadan, 1967   -

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:
African Play Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  2            Other:  extras

Further Reference:
-

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Lion and the Jewel, The

Synopsis:
gloriously depicts African village life

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Ibadan    1959

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Oxford University Press, Ibadan, 1963   -

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:
African Play Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  2            Other:  extras

Further Reference:
-

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Madmen and Specialists

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Waterford, Connecticut    1970

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:  8            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Opera Wonyosi

Opera Wonyosi
adpated from Gay''s 'the Beggar''s Opera' and is a fierce assault on totalitarianism

Notes:
Original Playwright - Bertolt Brecht (Threepenny Opera)

1st Produced:
Ife-Ife    1977

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 1981

Methuen Drama, London   -

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:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Play Of Giants, A

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
New haven, Connecticut    1984

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Priority Projects

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
on Nigeria tour    1982

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

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Genre:
Revue Show

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Republican and the New republican, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Lagos    1963

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:
Satirical revues Satire

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Requiem For a Futurologist

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Ife-Ife    1983

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Collings, London, 1985   -

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Rites of the Harmattan Solstice

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Lagos    1966

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:
-

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Road, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
Commonwealth Arts Festival

1st Published:
Oxford University Press, Ibadan, 1965   -

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:  8            Female:  -            Other:  extras

Further Reference:
-

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Scourge of Hyacinths, A

Synopsis:
Confusion and fear permeate society where the brutality and injustice of military rule is parodied by life inside prison.

Notes:
-

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:
radio play Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Strong Breed, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Ibadan    1964

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in "Three Plays", Mbari, Ibadan, 1963   -

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:  7            Female:  2            Other:  1g extras

Further Reference:
-

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Swamp Dwellers, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
London    1958

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in "Three Plays", Mbari, Ibadan, 1963   -

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:  4            Female:  1            Other:  drummer, extras

Further Reference:
-

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Thus Spake Orunmila. . .

Thus Spake Orunmila. . .
the King James Version of the Bible (KJV) is a foundation stone of the English language. the KJV was composed as a collective project and written to be spoken. Sixty-Six Books has been created, in the spirit of the original, in the same way. Pulpit to print; stage to page; mediated through many forms oral and written, the KJV has, since its inception, been a fundamental part of written and spoken English.This is a work that has travelled to every continent of the globe. It has been shared as a melodic instrument of inspiration, illumination and mutual understanding; and it has also been wielded as a tool of colonial oppression. Sixty-Six Books is a fresh interpretation of the KJV for the new millennium, celebrating and challenging the traditions and achievements of this great work on the occasion of its 400th anniversary. the curators of this project have gathered together a formidable and inspiring line-up of the best established and emerging writing talent to produce a new version of the KJV for thetwenty-first century. Each writer has created anew a book of the KJV - as prose, poetry, Drama, performance, song, or ground-breaking digital form. Each writer has spoken back to the KJV with untrammeled inventiveness of the imagination. the voices of Sixty-Six Books, drawn from across five continents, innovate, transmute, transpose, reinvent and talk back to four hundredyears of history. All the works that make up Sixty-Six Books are written to be spoken. Culminating in major performance events at the Bush theatre and Westminster Abbey in 2011 in London, Sixty-Six Books is a contribution towards the mutual curiosity, tolerance, and force of collective enterprise and shared humanity that characterizes the international and ancient Arts of writing and spoken performance

Notes:
Part of Sixty-Six Books: 21st-century writers speak to the King James Bible. Play is A response to the King James Bible book of 2 Samuel

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Oberon Books (2011) >>>    978-1849432276

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:
piece

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Trials of Brother Jero, The

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Ibadan    1960

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in "Three Plays", Mbari, Ibadan, 1963

Methuen Drama, London   -

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:  5            Female:  3            Other:  extras

Further Reference:
-

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