As part of our ongoing commitment to exploring the themes of our productions through conversation, we have invited Laura Twagirayezu to curate and host a series of round table discussions with local artists and cultural figures on themes emerging from The Sugar Wife.  

In three conversations, Laura and guests will explore some of the key themes of the play including:

Migration + Class (29 June, 6pm – 7pm)
Marriage + Desire (10 July, 6pm – 7pm)
Philanthropy + Morality (16 July, 9pm – 10pm)   

Migration + Class: 29 June, 6pm – 7pm in the Peacock 

How do the themes of migration and class intersect within the play, reflecting the historical and contemporary struggles of displaced individuals and social hierarchies? Are the challenges depicted still relevant today, and what do they reveal about our current societal structures?  

Is the story of migration always a violent one?    

Guests: Ngozi Elobuike (founder of Hi-Spirit and Decolonial scholar), Diana Bamimeke (artist and independent curator), Semilore Olusa (musician) 

Booking: Click here (tickets are free but booking is essential).

Marriage + Desire: 10 July, 6pm – 7pm in the Peacock 

Has the greater freedom to divorce, gender fluidity, and wider acceptance of diverse sexualities meant that we are no longer condemned to the increasingly ‘cold bath’ of marriage, as “The Sugar Wife” warns? Or is long-term partnership still a basic human instinct?  

Guests: Boidun Laaro (media personality and presenter), Sodiq Abiola (artist), Samuel Yakura (multi-disciplinary artist) 

Booking: Click here (tickets are free but booking is essential).

Morality + Philanthropy: 16 July, post-show in the Abbey auditorium 

Is there an inherent narcissism and hypocrisy in charity? Should that matter if lives are improved?   

Who gets the power in relieving injustice? Do we have to choose between change at an infrastructure level and the urge to help the person in front of us, is it possible to endeavour for both? 

Guests: Esosa Ighodaro (artist and Abbey Theatre Resident Director), Aisling McCaffrey (Director of Sustainability and Impact at Grant Thornton), Mamobo Ogoro (Founder and CEO of GORM, and social psychologist) 

Booking: To attend this Conversation, please book a ticket to The Sugar Wife on 16 July here.