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House of Ife

  • Beru Tessema
  • Full Length Play, Drama, Present Day
  • 2M, 3F
  • ISBN: 9780573132926

"See that's the problem with this family innit, we never wanna talk real about Ife."

More information

Description

  • Full Length Play
  • Drama

  • Time Period: Present Day
  • Target Audience: Appropriate for all audiences
  • Cautions: Mild Adult Themes
In the wake of the sudden death of their eldest son, Ife, one family is forced to confront the traumas, they’ve long tried to bury. As the sun beats down on their cramped North London flat, and the head of the family arrives from Ethiopia for the funeral, tensions rise, cultures clash and past betrayals are unearthed.

A tense, funny and explosive drama exploring what it means to belong, and what happens when a family’s secrets shake its foundations.
REVIEWS:

"A family epic that captures the universal in the specific."

 Evening Standard

"Absolutely terrific."

 Daily Telegraph

"Bereavement unlocks a host of buried conflicts for a British Ethiopian family in Beru Tessema’s richly textured debut play. An actor as well as a screenwriter, he knows how to write cracking dialogue, and his script has the tang of both domestic and urban authenticity."

 Evening Standard

"Bubbling, tender story... of grief, family love, cultural clashes and Ethiopian joy."

 London Theatre Reviews

"A funny, warm and tragic play... A genuinely superb moment of theatre."

 Reviews Hub

"Richly textured and artfully written."

 The Guardian

"Lively and boisterous."

 The Stage

"Tough, compassionate family drama sizzles with tension."

 The Times

"The most vibrant piece of new work I've seen in years."

 WhatsOnStage

Premiere Production:

House of Ife premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in April 2022, under the direction of Lynette Linton.

Beru Tessema is an Ethiopian-British writer based in London. His stage play, Exile in North Weezy, was shortlisted for the prestigious Papatango Playwriting Prize 2020. He began his relationship with the Bush on their Emerging Writers’ Group, and House of Ife was written on commission.

Characters

  • Casting: 2M, 3F
  • Casting Attributes: Role(s) for Black Actor(s)

  • AIDA
    TSION
    YOSI
    MERON
    SOLOMON

    • Available Material

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    House of Ife Script This is optional. Order Now

    In the wake of the sudden death of their eldest son, Ife, one family is forced to confront the traumas, they’ve long tried to bury. As the sun beats down on their cramped North London flat, and the head of the family arrives from Ethiopia for the funeral, tensions rise, cultures clash and past betrayals are unearthed.

    A tense, funny and explosive drama exploring what it means to belong, and what happens when a family’s secrets shake its foundations.

    		$24.95

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