When Alex Chisholm the literary manager of West Yorkshire Playhouse  called in 2005 and asked if I would adapt Benjamin Zephaniah’s Refugee Boy  I read it and I called her back. Yes I would.

Fast forward eight years later to last night  the  press night for the World Premier of Refugee Boy at West Yorkshire Playhouse.    You may read reviews in future but before you do I am savoring this time after the performance and  before the reviews to say it was breathtaking.

Another equally exciting part of all this (for me at least) is that the  play is now  published by Bloomsbury. Available here.   I’ve been asked if Refugee Boy  will tour. I’m told it will tour in 2014. Refugee Boy is playing at West Yorkshire Playhouse until March 30^th.

I can’t go into detail about the play cause that would be sort of writing my own review. Not that there is anything wrong with that. It’s not like it’s anonymous.  All I can say for now is that it was breathtaking, it was  beautiful. It is not about my life story. It is the adaptation of a story already written. Preview Press for Refugee Boy  Yorkshire Post.  BBC online.

Photographs: From top 1. Refugee Poster outside West Yorkshire playhouse 2) The stage is beautifully set. 3. Azieb and me with Ethiopian and Eritrean national flags at WYP  4. Ben Zephaniah and me 5. Benjamin Zephaniah and me  with my adaption of Refugee boy published by  Bloomsbury. 6. Khadija Ibrahim, Sandra and myself at the party after the performance