Join the Queen Idia creative team for a special conversation about the musical, its history, research and journey so far.

Queen Idia the Musical is a bold new African musical inspired by the extraordinary true story of Queen Idia, the warrior Queen Mother of the Benin Kingdom. Blending Afrobeats, spoken word and contemporary musical theatre, it tells a powerful story of love, motherhood, courage, sacrifice and the fight to protect a kingdom.

The musical has been in development for over two years, growing through research, writing, workshops, music development and audience engagement in the UK and Nigeria. The project has been developed with the support of Arts Council England and in collaboration with partners including Landmark Theatres, the University of Cambridge Public Engagement team, the Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, the Centre of African Studies, the University of Cambridge Library and the National Theatre of Nigeria.

We are now entering our second major Research & Development phase, bringing together a company of performers, musicians and creatives to take the work further. As part of this phase, we are sharing the musical with audiences across five cities: Peterborough (5 September), Stoke-on-Trent (8 September), Cambridge (9 September), London (11 September) and Derby (12 September).

Following the Cambridge concert sharing at C3 on Wednesday 9 September, we invite you to join us the following evening at the Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, University of Cambridge, on Thursday 10 September for a special post-show conversation.

This will be an opportunity to go behind the scenes of Queen Idia the Musical and hear more about the story, the research behind it and the journey of bringing Queen Idia to the stage. Members of the creative and research team will reflect on the development of the musical, the discoveries that have shaped it and what comes next as the work continues towards a full production.

There will also be an opportunity for the audience to ask questions, share thoughts and join the conversation.

Come and spend an evening with us talking theatre, history, music and the making of a new African musical.

Description supplied by the event organiser.