It is the Year of Return, 2019.
Samuel is our tour guide. It’s his job to give tourists a really really authentic experience of Cape Coast Castle's dark history, and to do it all with a smile. Good ol’ Samuel!
Orange is a ticket officer. She thinks Samuel needs to get a goddamn life. There has to be more to him beyond these castle walls.
Today is Samuel’s birthday! Happy birth—
“Do you ever want to hurt the tourists Samuel?"
No! They’re his 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.
No. Samuel would never want to hurt the tourists.
And they would never want to hurt him.
A story about Samuel, Orange and their attempts to preserve the past.
Samuel Takes A Break... is a critcally-acclaimed play that ran for an extended 6-week regularly sold-out production at The Yard Theatre in 2024. The story explores the history and legacy of Cape Coast Castle in Ghana, as well as the politics of diasporic 'roots' tourism, all through the lens of a pair of Ghanaian tour-guides and a series of African-American and Black British tourists. Key inspirations include Suzan-Lori Parks' The America Play, Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party, and Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day.
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Finalist, The Juilliard School, 2025
Finalist, Susan Smith Blackburn Award, 2024
Highly Commended Award & Finalist, Soho Theatre's Verity Bargate Award, 2023
Longlisted, Bruntwood Award for Playwriting, 2023
Shortlisted, Women's Prize for Playwriting, 2021
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See the production website here.
Watch the production trailer here.
See here for my letter written to audiences, during the production.
Buy the playtext here.
See here for reviews from TimeOut, The Arts Desk, The Stage, The Rendition, and The Guardian.
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'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
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Development history:
Dramaturgy, 'The Reader' Scriptwiting Class, Berlin, 2019
Dramaturgy, Goldsmiths University MA, 2020
Dramaturgy, Intro to Playwriting Group, Royal Court Theatre, 2021
Reading, Engine Room, Omnibus Theatre, 2021
Reading, Sky Table Reads, 2023
Residency, Performing Arts Forum (PAF), Paris, 2023
Workshops x2, The Yard Theatre, 2023
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Further readings / productions:
Extract reading, The Juilliad School, 2025
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Photo credits: Marc Brenner