Drama about prisoners in three countries will air in Derbyshire theatre ahead of New York debut

Lines, recommended as one of the ‘Best Theatre Tickets To Book’ for 2024 by The Guardian, is at Derby Theatre on March 15 and 16.

Set in five prisons in Uganda, Palestine and Britain, it follows the parallel, post-colonial lives of ten seeminly disconnected prisoners over five decades.

They include Arwa, a queer teacher in Kampala imprisoned for her sexuality, and Waswa, a student in Tel Aviv who meets an activist and ends up behind bars. All ten of the characters are played by actors/writers John Rwothomack, born in Uganda, and Palestinian Fidaa Zidan.

John said: “We’re bringing two countries, Uganda and Palestine, which you wouldn’t think have many connections, together to realise they have so much in common.

“One of the biggest questions we had was if you took Britain out of the timeline of these two countries, what would they look like?

“I think that can only be explored through theatre.”

The show starts in Palestine in the 1970s, after the Entebbe raid rescue of a hijacked jet, and finishes there in 2019.

It explores questions such as the meaning of land, the human need to belong, injustice and racism.

A chance meeting between John, Fidaa and US producer Alex Aron sparked the show’s evolution over four years across three continents and mainly online.

John added: “It’s all about exploring connections with other people, about how if people talk to a stranger they will find things in common.

“If we could do that and understand each other more, there might be a bit more compassion in the world.

“There are some fun moments but ultimately we hope people will see something of themselves in the show, and ask what they would do in those same situations.”

Lines has been created by Sheffield’s Roots Mbili Theatre, founded by John and also behind the acclaimed show Far Gone and work-in-progress Never Look Back.

It is a co-production with the American Remote Theatre Project and Sheffield Theatres, with creative input from Lebanese Junaid Sarieddeen and additional writing by Ugandan Asiimwe Deborah Kawe.

Lines launches in Sheffield this week (February 28) and will also head to Lancaster, Scarborough and Harrogate before finishing at New York’s La Mama Theatre in May.

To book tickets for Lines at Derby Theatre, with tickets priced at £15 and under, visit https://derbytheatre.co.uk/event/lines