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It is 2019, the Year of Return, marking four hundred years since the first enslaved Africans arrived in America. We are at a slave castle in Ghana. Samuel is our tour guide. It's his job to give tourists a really, really authentic experience of the castle's dark history, and to do it all with a smile. Thank you, Samuel!
The tourists are Samuel's guests, and they're on a journey of self-discovery. But they're here, standing on soil, blood and bones, asking for a selfie. They want to buy trinkets from the gift shop. Samuel would never want to hurt the tourists. And they would never want to hurt him.
Rhianna Ilube's Samuel Takes a Break… in Male Dungeon No. 5 After a Long but Generally Successful Day of Tours is a genre-blending play about colonialism, identity and the attempt to preserve the past. It was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Playwriting and the Verity Bargate Award, and was a finalist for the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. It premiered at The Yard Theatre, London, in 2024, directed by Anthony Simpson-Pike.
“Audacious... a superb satire on atrocity tourism and the legacy of slavery... Rhianna Ilube's play is as outrageous as it sounds... broad comedy lurches suddenly into deep meditations on the reality and the destructive legacy of colonialism... fresh and fascinating.” —Time Out
“A forensic cross-examination of the dark tourism industry. Ilube digs deep into colonialism's impact on British identity and asks, poignantly, how we are supposed to preserve the horrors of the past... Ilube's writing makes you shake, laugh and not for one second forget the castle's past.” —Guardian
“A sharply funny look at the reverberation of colonialism into the present day... humour shaded with insight and empathy.” —The Stage
“A hilarious but unflinching look at complex issues around colonialism and lost identity... unmissable.” —Theatre Weekly
“Funny and thought-provoking... Rhianna Ilube's characters and dialogue sparkle with humanity and wit... the play hits the sweet spot with its engaging characters, its compelling story and its beautifully created sense of place.” —Arts Desk
“A masterpiece... a perfectly balanced and powerful combination of comedy and emotion that will leave you speechless.” —A Youngish Perspective
Rhianna Ilube is a playwright and events curator.
Her debut play Samuel Takes a Break... in Male Dungeon No. 5 After a Long but Generally Successful Day of Tours (Yard Theatre, London, 2024) was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Playwriting, and Highly Commended for the Soho Theatre's Verity Bargate Award.
She was previously Associate Director at Coney, and her other theatre work includes WE ARE HERE TO MAKE CHANGE!!!!!!!!!!!! (Royal Court) and 1884 (Coney).