In a small Nigerian town, Ben and Obembe, along with their two older brothers, slip away to fish at a forbidden river. Unnoticed and carefree, they keep coming back until one day a madman’s prophecy changes the course of their lives forever.
Adapted by Gbolahan Obisesan from the Man Booker Prize-shortlisted novel by Chigozie Obioma, The Fishermen is a powerful allegory of brotherhood, vengeance and fate. It was first seen at HOME, Manchester, in 2018, before a tour of the UK including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in a co-production between New Perspectives and HOME.
‘A remarkable, mythic book’ Alice Walker on The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma
‘Beautiful and memorable… something very special’
— Guardian
‘Gbolahan Obisesan has skilfully distilled this tragic story… [has] near-mythic qualities, exploring the bonds of family and the individual’s ability to defy fate’
— BritishTheatre.com
‘Chigozie Obioma’s novel [is brought] to vivid, unforgettable life’
— The Skinny
‘A supreme piece of theatre… what comes across most powerfully is the bleed between imagination and memory, as re-enactment can turn into trauma, and play can stop being play’
— The Stage
