London, June 2025
The fate of Africa rests solely on the zeal and chivalry of 11 adventurous friends. Their ancestral ‘mother’ gives them seven days to prove to the rest of the world that their fabulous continent is worth celebrating and not burying.
Their journeys traverse 54 countries, countless boundaries, and endless risks. Lives, history, and destinies are rewritten forever.
From the director of smash hit The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives at Arcola Theatre, comes 54.60 Africa, an exhilarating, cross-cultural pan-African encounter, brought to life through word, live music, song, and dance.
It is inspired by the travels of its author who accomplished visiting every one of Africa’s then 54 nations, before his 60th birthday.
The ensemble features Eastenders’ Suzette Llewellyn, Munashe Chirisa (The Play that Goes Wrong), Uganda’s popular music group The Ganda Boys and several cast members from The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives including Patrice Naiambana (Baba Segi).
54.60 Africa was developed with the help of Omnibus Theatre Clapham, Hackney Showroom, Bernie Grant Arts Centre and with the support of the National Theatre’s Generate programme.
-
Running time
2 hours including interval -
Age guidance
12+
“A heartfelt tribute to mother Africa and her complex facets: pain, suffering, joy, pride and origin.”
“This show is nothing short of extraordinary... What Elufowoju seems most preoccupied with here is joy, and with life. And here, we get a lot of it.”
“The ensemble is electric, both energised and loving... every member is at the top of their game, with the ability to dance, sing, and multi-role.”
“The 54.60 ensemble have devised, workshopped and developed a rich and engaging theatrical experience.”
Production photos
Rehearsal photos
The Company
-
Munashe Chirisa
Africa 3 and as Cast
Munashe Chirisa
Africa 3 and as Cast
Munashe Chirisa is a Zimbabwean-born, UK-based actor and comedian with a diverse portfolio across stage, film, and television. His theatre credits include The Play That Goes Wrong (West End), New Apostles (Young Vic), Stop and Search (Arcola Theatre), and Doctor Faustus (Tangle Theatre Company). On screen, he has appeared in the Bollywood feature Time To Dance and led a world wide Amazon Prime campaign. Munashe is also known for his original one-man show All of Us. He is the co-founder of Made in ZWE, a creative platform celebrating Zimbabwean culture through performance and media. You can follow Munashe across social media @MunasheChirisa.
-
Liana Cottrill
Africa 9, Dancer, Singer and as Cast
Liana Cottrill
Africa 9, Dancer, Singer and as Cast
Stage credits include: Sereia, the titular role, in The Little Mermaid (Bristol Old Vic), and Wendy in Wendy: A Peter Pan Story (Bath Theatre Royal). Liana is a founding member of Bristol Old Vic’s Young SixSix company, where her credits include: Lysistrata in Lysistrata, Nurse in Romeo & Juliet, and Antigone in Antigone. Beyond Acting, Liana is a distinguished dancer and a key member of the renowned dance crew IMD Legion. The crew has not only dominated the UK scene as six-time reigning champions but also recently clinched the title of Ultimate Advanced Hip Hop World Champions 2024.
-
Ayo-Dele Edwards
Africa 6, Singer and as cast
Ayo-Dele Edwards
Africa 6, Singer and as cast
Ayo-Dele Edwards is an actor and singer-songwriter. A graduate of Mountview Theatre School, she has showcased her talents across theatre, radio, film, and voice-over work. Her passion for integrating music, dance, and movement into storytelling led her to create her solo play, Becoming, which weaves narrative with original songs to explore themes of identity, relationships and migration. Currently in development for a tour, Becoming builds on Ayo-Dele’s extensive stage experience. She is thrilled to return to the stage for this production. Theatre: BECOMING Stories & Songs (Ashmolean Museum) STILL BREATHING, Unlock the Chains collective (Sheldonian Theatre Oxford) HERE’S WHAT SHE SAID TO ME, Utopia Theatre/Sheffield Theatres THE SECRET LIVES OF BABA SEGI’S WIVES, Elufowoju Jr Ensemble, Arcola Theatre, and Lagos Nigeria IYALODE OF ETI (DUCHESS OF MALFI) (Utopia Theatre/West Yorkshire Playhouse) on Tour & Ake Festival (Lagos) THE COWFOOT PRINCE with USIFU JALLOH (documentary film) Vocalist/songwriter Short film: WAKE UP (Amazon Prime).
-
Adil Hassan
Africa 7 and as Cast
Adil Hassan
Africa 7 and as Cast
Adil trained at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 2024. He recently made his professional stage debut as Saleem in ‘Providers’ at Brixton House Theatre for Synergy Theatre Project. Other theatre work includes ‘Strangers’ Makrooh/ Soho Theatre and ‘Deen and Dunya’ Khameleon/ Royal Court Upstairs, both of which he wrote. Short films: ‘The Pilgrimage’, ‘DIY E.D.I’ and ‘Can’t Let Them In’.
-
Usifu Jalloh
Africa 5, Musician and as cast
Usifu Jalloh
Africa 5, Musician and as cast
Usifu Jalloh is a highly experienced, talented award-winning storyteller/performer, actor, and educator who has been working in arts education for over 30 years. His roots in multicultural Sierra Leone and his long-standing and close association with artists and audiences from various cultures have led him to develop a storytelling style encompassing international languages, music, dance, and story themes. He was born in Kamakwie in the Karene District of northern Sierra Leone. Usifu has a passion for motivating young people to educate themselves within the context of their culture. Along with Storytelling and music, he has established Maambena Fest and the National Storytelling Festival in Sierra Leone as the vehicles he uses to accomplish this laudable goal. His productions, Africa’s Cowfoot and The Cowfoot Prince Chronicles, serve as platforms for promoting Sierra Leonean and African cultures as a whole by embodying them within the rich Oral heritages of his ancestry. Usifu is the author of a collection of African stories, children’s storybooks, and a Teacher’s Handbook To Storytelling. He has also co-written and co-published an epic play, Sweet Peter, which represents the experience of slavery, colonialism, and war in Sierra Leone.
-
Suzette Llewellyn
Mama Africa (Africa 1) and as Cast
Suzette Llewellyn
Mama Africa (Africa 1) and as Cast
Theatre work includes The Ballad of Hattie and James (Kiln Theatre) Foxes, (59e59 Theaters NY,NY), The Fellowship (Hampstead Theatre), Electric Rosary, (Royal Exchange Manchester), Running With Lions, (Talawa Theatre, Lyric Theatre Hammersmith), Chigger Foot Boys, (Strongback Productions & Tara Art) Urban Afro Saxons (Talawa Theatre), Marisol (Traverse Theatre) Television and Film includes Mr Loverman, Vera, EastEnders, Holby City, The Mouse, Doctors, Real, Top Boy, The Windsors, Faces, Hollyoaks, The Dumping Ground, Rocket’s Island, Bucky, The Coroner, Scott & Bailey, Black Silk, Playing Away, Babymother, Welcome To The Terror Dome.
-
Christopher Mbaki
Africa 4, Dancer and as cast
Christopher Mbaki
Africa 4, Dancer and as cast
Christopher began his training at Intermission Youth Theatre in 2021–2022 and is now a graduate of the company. He went on to train in Musical Theatre with the Almeida Young Company, joined the National Youth Theatre in 2023, and is currently a member of Trybe House. His performance credits include Juliet and Romeo and MSND at The Chelsea Theatre with Intermission Youth Theatre, None of the Clocks Work at Theatre Peckham, and a national schools tour with the Orange Tree Theatre in Shakespeare Up Close, where he played Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and appeared in Macbeth. Most recently, Christopher was nominated for a Black British Theatre Award (BBTA) for “Best Male Lead Actor in a Play” for his one-man show Before I Go at Brixton House.
-
Patrice Naiambana
Africa 2, Musician and as cast
Patrice Naiambana
Africa 2, Musician and as cast
TV credits include: The Witcher (Series 4, Netflix), Criminal Record (Apple TV), Death in Paradise (BBC), Black Ops (BBC Studios), House of the Dragon (HBO/ Cross Plains Productions LTD). Film credits include: Damsel (Netflix), Turn up Charlie (Green Eyed Boy), Spectre (B24 Limited) and Monochrome (Electric Fix). Theatre credits include: Tree (Young Vic), Barber Shop Chronicles (National Theatre), The Caretaker (Bristol Old Vic), The New Nigerians (Arcola Theatre) and Iyalode of Eti (Duchess of Malfi) (Utopia Theatre).
-
Funlola Olufunwa
Africa 8, Singer and as cast
Funlola Olufunwa
Africa 8, Singer and as cast
Funlola trained at RADA. Her work in theatre includes: ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL (RSC), THE TIME MACHINE (Creation Theatre), SLEEPING BEAUTY (Greenwich Theatre), DOUBT (English Theatre of Hamburg) and SOMEONE OF SIGNIFICANCE (Vaults Theatre Festival), which won the People’s Choice Award in 2023. Television: NO RETURN, EMMERDALE and EASTENDERS. Other work includes: motion capture and audio work on the STRANGE BRIGADE video game and writing KEEPING UP WITH KASSANDRA for Creation Theatre’s digital theatre season in 2021.
-
The Ganda Boys
Africa 10, Africa 11, Musicians, singers and as cast
The Ganda Boys
Africa 10, Africa 11, Musicians, singers and as cast
The Ganda Boys bring a fresh light to joyous African songs & chants, with sprinklings of English lyrics by band member/lyricist, Craig Pruess. Originally from Uganda, London based lead singers Denis Mugagga and Daniel Sewagudde are internationally recognised, with 21 GRAMMY artists joining their song “The Forgotten People” in Studio City, Los Angeles. Stevie Wonder is a big fan of the Ganda Boys, appearing in public with the band during 2019 to support their work.
-
Femi Elufowoju jr
Writer and Director
Femi Elufowoju jr
Writer and Director
Elufowoju jr was the founding artistic director of tiata fahodzi. In 2013 the Elufowoju jr Ensemble, conceived the stage adaptation of Lola Shoneyin’s The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives which in the same year received its world premiere at the Ake Festival in Abeokuta, Nigeria. For Arcola Theatre, Elufowoju jr directed Hoard by Bim Adewunmi, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams (a co-production with Watford Palace Theatre) and in the summer of 2024, Suzan-Lori Parks’ The Book of Grace.
Elufowoju jr directed Verdi’s Rigoletto for Opera North (2022) and in the same year directed and wrote a new libretto Der anonyme Liebhaber (based on the life of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges) for Konzert und Theater St Gallen.Recognitions:
- Olivier Nomination – Outstanding Production in an affiliate theatre (Iya-Ile, the first wife)
- Offie Winner – Best Director (The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives)
- South Bank Sky Arts Winner – Best Opera Production (Rigoletto)
Elufowoju jr was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to drama.
-
ULTZ
Production Designer
ULTZ
Production Designer
ULTZ is an Olivier Award-winning, UK Theatre Award-winning, Off-West End Award-winning, Tony Award-nominated designer based in London. He works internationally designing and directing for opera and theatre. Previously for Femi Elufowoju jr at the Arcola: The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, The Gods Are Not To Blame. Recent UK theatre includes set and costume designs for: A Good House, Torn (Royal Court Theatre); Jerusalem (Royal Court Theatre, Broadway and West End); Play On! (Lyric Hammersmith and Tour); Skeleton Crew (Donmar Warehouse); Tambo and Bones (co-designed for ATC / Theatre Royal Stratford East & UK Tour); Death of England Trilogy (co-designed, National Theatre and Soho Place), The Corn is Green, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (National Theatre); Richard II, Against (Almeida). Opera work includes: designing sets and costumes for La Clemenza di Tito (Royal Opera House), Parsifal (Paris Opera), Ariodante (Aix-en-Provence Festival / Dutch National Opera / Canadian Opera Company / Lyric Opera of Chicago); directing and designing Don Giovanni, Anna Bolena, I Capuletti e I Montecchi (Landestheater-Niederbayern, Germany).
-
Kemi Durosinmi
Associate Director and Choreographer/ Movement Director
Kemi Durosinmi
Associate Director and Choreographer/ Movement Director
Kemi Durosinmi is a multi-hyphenate Performer and Creative Artist working across Theatre, Film, and Television. As a Theatre Maker, she specialises in Movement and Storytelling, with work spanning Choreography, Movement Direction, and emerging practices in Intimacy and Fight Direction. Her theatre credits include BECOMING (Stratford Circus), The Little Prince (Fuel/ETT), The Glass Menagerie (Arcola & Watford Palace), The Book of Grace (Arcola), and The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives (Arcola, 2018), OFFIE-nominated for Best Choreography.
-
Emmanuel Edwards
Music Director, Composer, Sound Designer
Emmanuel Edwards
Music Director, Composer, Sound Designer
Emmanuel Edwards is a London-based musician, composer, and creative force whose work spans theatre, music production, and sound design. With a career marked by versatility and innovation, Emmanuel has collaborated with renowned record labels such as Sony Music, Universal and EMI, and his compositions have resonated across diverse genres and platforms. As a Musical Director, Emmanuel made a triumphant return to the industry in 2019 with the debut production of Becoming, at Stratford Circus Arts Centre. His theatrical expertise extends to acclaimed productions like Joe Guy (Tiata Fahodzi/Soho Theatre), Not Quite Gospel (Nu Century Arts), Finding Beulah, and Fix Your Crown, among others. Currently, Emmanuel is immersed in several exciting theatre projects, including an upcoming tour. Emmanuel’s discography reflects his dynamic artistry. His work also includes contributions to charity projects like Christian Aid and United Sound Tracks, showcasing his commitment to music as a tool for connection and change. Beyond the stage and studio, Emmanuel is the visionary behind Oluwagbemiga, a platform dedicated to exploring the intersections of music, culture, and storytelling. His unique ability to blend sound, narrative, and emotion has established him as a sought-after composer and sound designer for theatre and beyond. With a passion for mentoring emerging artists and a relentless drive to push creative boundaries, Emmanuel Edwards continues to shape the future of music and theatre—one note, one story, and one production at a time.
-
Charles Balfour
Lighting Designer
Charles Balfour
Lighting Designer
Theatre credits include: Ben and Imo (RSC/Orange Tree); Here In America (Orange Tree); Summer 1954 (Bath Theatre Royal); A Museum in Baghdad (RSC); The Kite Runner (West End & tour); Get Up Stand Up: The Bob Marley Story (West End); The Corn Is Green, Rutherford and Son (National Theatre); Egyptians (Wild Yak/Gulbenkian Theatre); The Three Musketeers (New Vic Theatre); Our Lady of Kibeho (Royal & Derngate); Romeo and Juliet (RSC); The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Donmar); Frost/Nixon (Sheffield Crucible); Miss Littlewood (RSC); The Jungle Book (Royal & Derngate/Tour);Against (Almeida); Queen Anne (Theatre Royal Haymarket); Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare’s Globe); Sadko (Ghent Opera); Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Pinter Theatre); The Kite Runner (Wyndham’s); The Seven Acts of Mercy, The Alchemist, A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Play for the Nation (RSC); Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (National Theatre); The Suppliant Women (ATC/Edinburgh Lyceum); Torn (Royal Court); Richard III, Mojo, Posh, Through the Leaves (West End); Hecuba, The Christmas Truce, I’ll Be the Devil (RSC); Minetti (Edinburgh International Festival); The Events (ATC/Young Vic/New York); The River, Choir Boy, Chicken Soup with Barley, Now or Later, The Ugly One (Royal Court); Ah Wilderness, Dirty Butterfly, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Girlfriend Experience (Young Vic); The Accrington Pals, Orlando, To Kill a Mockingbird (Manchester Royal Exchange); Oh, What a Lovely War, Look Back in Anger, The Borrowers (Northern Stage); Flint Street Nativity, The Tempest (Liverpool Playhouse); Duchess of Malfi, Hedda Gabler (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Angels in America, The English Game (Headlong)
Awards Include: 2013 Knight of Illumination award for The River (Royal Court and Broadway); UK Theatre Award Best Design; Broadway World Best West End Lighting.
-
Mert Dilek
Dramaturg
-
Joe Prentice
Production Manager
-
Naomi Shanson
Stage Manager (on book)
-
Joe Collins
Assistant Stage Manager
-
Thomas Kell (Elufowoju jr Ensemble)
Associate Producer
-
Mark Simmonds
Associate Designer
-
Maybelle Laye
Costume Supervisor
-
Sammy Emmins
Lighting Programmer
-
Luis Gustavo Silva Navarro
Sound No. 1
-
Lanre Njoku
Songwriter & Session Musician
Supported by Linda Keenan.