A phased return for the performing arts will see a host of venues open with a reduced capacity whilst adopting stringent safety measures to encompass socially distanced audiences.

Eight of the actors from the series of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads which LTC made for BBC One this summer will reprise their performances on The Bridge stage.

Three monologues – An Evening with an Immigrant, Quarter Life Crisis and Nine Lives – from Inua Ellams, Yolanda Mercy and Zodwa Nyoni will also run alongside them, the first two played by their authors, the third by Lladel Bryant.

Written and performed by Inua Ellams, The Bridge will present Ellams’ and Fuel’s production of An Evening with an Immigrant, with music selection by DJ Sid Mercutio.

Born to a Muslim father and a Christian mother in what is now considered by many to be Boko Haram territory, Inua Ellams left Nigeria for England in 1996 aged 12, moved to Ireland for three years, before returning to London and starting work as a writer and graphic designer.

Part of this story was documented in his autobiographical Fringe First Award-winning play The 14th Tale, but much of it is untold. Littered with poems, stories and anecdotes, Inua tells his ridiculous, fantastic, poignant immigrant-story of escaping fundamentalist Islam, experiencing prejudice and friendship in Dublin, performing solo at the National Theatre, and drinking wine with the Queen of England, all the while without a country to belong to or place to call home.

Ellams is an award-winning poet, performer, playwright, graphic artist and designer.

He started performing in cafes in 2003 and has since worked in venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Nuyorican Poets Cafe and Glastonbury Music Festival.

He is the recipient of an Edinburgh Fringe First Award for his autobiographical award-winning play The 14th Tale. He has also undertaken several commissions, including those for Louis Vuitton and Soho Theatre.

Following two sell-out runs at the National Theatre and a world tour, his play Barbershop Chronicles  (A Fuel, National Theatre and Leeds Playhouse co-production) also ran at the Roundhouse in 2019. His adaptation of Three Sisters  was co-produced by the National Theatre and Fuel in 2019-2020.

Fuel says: “Fuel leads the field in independent producing in the UK’s live performance sector. They work with brilliant artists to make fresh experiences for adventurous people.

“To date, many of these experiences have been theatre, whether that is in an actual theatre, on the streets, in community settings, or in purpose-built structures. All of the artists Fuel works with produce shows, performances or experiences which have clear, direct and playful relationships with their audiences.

“They appeal to the emotions and the intellect. Things that make you laugh and cry. These artists see the world in a different way; they respond to challenges and difficulties with ingenuity and ideas; they create something unexpected which articulates something new to audiences.”

The Bridge Theatre are inviting audiences from today to book seats with the assurance that, if the season is delayed there will be automatic refunds for any performances that can’t go ahead.

‘An Evening with an Immigrant’ runs from 18th September – 15th October 2020.

‘Quarter Life Crisis’ runs from 7th October – 17th October 2020.

‘Nine Lives’ runs from 22nd October – 31st October 2020.

For more information, visit the theatre’s website here