The Gift

Brighton, 1862. A day in the life of Sarah, an African girl, adopted by Queen Victoria and raised in the Queen's circles. Today is the eve of her having to return to Africa, but will she go?

The Present. A day in the life of Sarah, a black middle-class woman living in a Cheshire village with her husband and small child. They are paid a visit by well-meaning neighbours who have something to confess.

The two Sarahs meet Queen Victoria for tea. This won't be your regular tea party…

An outrageous play about imperialism, cross-racial adoption, cultural appropriation – and tea – Janice Okoh's The Gift premiered at the Belgrade Theatre Coventry in January 2020, followed by a UK tour, including a run at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in London. It was a co-production between Eclipse Theatre Company and the Belgrade Theatre, and directed by Dawn Walton.

'Clever and complex... a formally original and intellectual engagement with forgotten history, cross-racial adoption and the impact of imperialism on black British lives today'— Guardian

'Unafraid to tackle important and complex issues... a must-see piece of theatre'— Broadway World

'A bold exploration of black Britishness that is as agonising as it is funny'— Metro

“'Clever and complex... a formally original and intellectual engagement with forgotten history, cross-racial adoption and the impact of imperialism on black British lives today'”

'Unafraid to tackle important and complex issues... a must-see piece of theatre'

'A bold exploration of black Britishness that is as agonising as it is funny'

Janice Okoh won the Bruntwood Playwrighting Competition in 2011 with her play Three Birds, which was staged at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, in 2013, before transferring to the Bush Theatre, London. The play was shortlisted for the Verity Bargate Award and the Alfred Fagon Award, and was adapted into a six-part BBC television drama in 2025.Her other plays include The Gift (Theatre Royal, Stratford East, 2020) and Egusi Soup (Menagerie Theatre Company & Eastern Angles, 2009).

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