Lava (play)
2021 play by Benedict Lombe
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Lava is a one-woman show by Congolese-British playwright Benedict Lombe which premiered at the Bush Theatre, an Off-West End venue, in 2021.[1] The play follows a woman, based on Lombe herself, who must explore her own history after being contacted by the British passport office.[2] For her work, Lombe won the 2022 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.[3][4]
| Lava | |
|---|---|
| |
| Original language | English |
| Written by | Benedict Lombe |
| Subject | Migration |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 9 July 2021 |
| Place | Bush Theatre |
| Directed by | Anthony Simpson-Pike |
| Original run | 9 July – 7 August 2021 |
Plot
The play is a semi-autobiographical story about a woman who receives a letter from the British passport office asking why her South African passport doesn't have her first name listed. As she searches for answers herself, the show explores her upbringing in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the time of Mobutu Sese Seko's dictatorship and post-apartheid South Africa before moving to Ireland and England, and the legal and political challenges of immigration.[5][6]
Production history
The play first premiered in 2021 Off-West End at the Bush Theatre in London, starring Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo and directed by Anthony Simpson-Pike. The production ran from 9 July to 7 August 2021, with it also being available for international streaming from 16 to 21 August in the same year.[7][8] The production received critical acclaim, with The Guardian giving the show four stars, praising Adékoluẹjo's performance as "luminous"[9] and The Times lauded it as "brilliant, blistering theatre."[10]
Lombe won the 2022 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for the play, along with the $25,000 prize.[11][12] The play was nominated for three Black British Theatre Awards,[13] nominated for a 2022 Offie[14] and received the 2021 Alfred Fagon Award for Lombe.[15]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Black British Theatre Awards | Best Production of a Play | Nominated | [16][17][18] | |
| Best Director for a Play or Musical | Anthony Simpson-Pike | Nominated | |||
| Best Female Actor in a Play | Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo | Nominated | |||
| Alfred Fagon Award | Benedict Lombe | Shortlisted | [19] | ||
| 2022 | Susan Smith Blackburn Prize | Won | [20][21] | ||
| Offie | Performance Piece | Ronke Adékoluejo | Nominated | [22] | |