NATIONAL TOUR March 7 2025-MAY 24 2025

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TAMBO & BONES Original Production Photos by The Other Richard. 

TAMBO & BONES are stuck in a minstrel show. 

It’s hard to know what’s real when you’re stuck in a minstrel show.

Their escape plan: get out, get rich, get even.

One of TimeOut’s top six shows to watch in 2025. Tambo & Bones is an exhilarating, darkly comic and provocative satire on capitalism and Black performance. 
 
Spanning 500 years, Tambo (Clifford Samuel), and Bones (Daniel Ward) journey from comedy double-act to hip-hop superstars to activists in a future America – contending with the alarming repercussions of a nation torn apart by
race. Harris’ blistering satire laughs through our past, blows the roof off our present, and imagines an explosive future for our world and for theatre. 
 
Tambo & Bones is the latest in a series of acclaimed productions from ATC, one of the only British theatre companies dedicated to producing, presenting and touring international plays throughout the UK. ATC’s recently celebrated work 
includes Rice (2022), The Architect (2023), Family Tree (2023) and Bodies of Water (2024). 

Dave Harris is a poet and playwright from West Philly. Selected plays include TAMBO & BONES (LA Drama Critics Award “Best New Play”, TimeOut London “Best Plays of 2023,”), EXCEPTION TO THE RULE (Roundabout Theatre Company, 2022), and EVERYBODY BLACK (Humana Festival 2019). His first feature film, Summertime premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was released in 2021. Selected honors include: the 2024 Relentless Award, the 2023 Horton Foote Prize, the Ollie Award, The Lorraine Hansberry Award and Mark Twain Award from The Kennedy Center, The International Commendation for The Bruntwood Prize, and a Cave Canem poetry fellowship amongst others. Dave has written feature and television projects for AMC (Interview With A Vampire), Netflix, Apple (Widow’s Bay), Amazon (The Fortress of Solitude), and FX amongst others. His first full-length collection of poetry, Patricide, was published by Button Poetry.

 

CAST

Tambo Clifford Samuel

Bones Daniel Ward

X-Bot 1 Jaron Lemmens

X-Bot 2 Dru Cripps 

 

CREATIVES

Writer Dave Harris | Director Matthew Xia | Set & Costume Designers Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey & ULTZ | Lighting Designer Ciarán Cunningham | Hip-Hop Beats  Excalibah*| Sound Designer & Additional Composition Richard Hammarton | Movement Director Kloé Dean | Video Designer Gino Ricardo Green | Associate Director Dubheasa Lanipekun | Costume Supervisor Ysanne Tidd | Fight Director  Sam Lyon-Behan | Original fight choreography Kevin McCurdy | Voice and Dialect Coach Joel Trill | Magic & Illusions Consultant Chris Cox | Production Drama Therapist Wabriya King  | Puppetry Designer Hugh Purves | Assistant Designer Mark Simmons | *WAR produced by Roly Botha and Excalibah and Dollas to Dreams produced by Excalibah and Roly Botha

 

PRODUCTION

Company Stage Manager Marie Angelique St.Hill | Deputy Stage Manager Paris Wu | Technical Assistant Stage Manager Dynzell Muguti | Sound Op Lateef Salvador Oshinowo |Lighting Associate Tom Lightbody | Production Manager James Boyer Smith 

 

 

DATES   

Royal & Derngate, Northampton

Friday 7 – Saturday 15 March 2025

https://www.royalandderngate.co.uk/


Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse

Wednesday 26 – Saturday 29 March 2025

https://www.everymanplayhouse.com/


HOME Manchester

Tuesday 1 – Saturday 5 April 2025

https://homemcr.org/


Belgrade Theatre

Wednesday 9 – Saturday 12 April 2025

https://www.belgrade.co.uk/


Stratford East

Tuesday 29 April – Saturday 10 May 2025

https://www.stratfordeast.com/


Leeds Playhouse

Wednesday 14 – Saturday 24 May 2025

https://www.leedsplayhouse.org.uk/


Please check venue websites for details of show times, ticket prices and access performances.

 

Running Time: 2 hours inc interval, approx

 

Age Guidance: 14+ (This show contains sounds of gunfire, violence, ethnic violence, strong language, strong racial language and discusses themes some may find upsetting relating to race.)

 REVIEWS

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “As entertaining as it is unnerving” The Stage


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Unique, challenging and oh-so necessary” The Guardian


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Tambo & Bones is a necessary piece of theatre. To display entertainment and humour with such grave and painful topics is a skill very few have. The work of ATC‘s Artistic Director Matthew Xia, was visible throughout, alongside an incredible team of creatives making AN INCREDIBLE PIECE OF THEATRE.” The Rendition


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Like nothing you’ve ever seen” The Telegraph


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “This is not your typical play about race” The Times


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “It blew my mind … a masterpiece” Afridiziak


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Unpredictably bonkers… fasten your seatbelt” Broadway World


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “By far the best new American play I have seen for years” LondonTheatre1


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “A stellar work of art” All That Dazzles


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Remarkable” North West End


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “A new

 classic” lastminutetheatretickets

 

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