A PLAY based on the life of a 19th century Nigerian who was taken into slavery at the age of ten is being performed at Tavistock Methodist Church on Wednesday, October 31. Albert and the Story of Olaudah Equiano was written by Jayne Newton-Chance. Jayne has recently re-written her original play as part of the 2007 commemoration of the repeal of the Slave Act. The play tells the story of Olaudah who experienced the Middle Passage, worked on a plantation, was bought by a British naval officer for his mistress, served in the navy, and was sold again in the West Indies. He eventually gained his freedom, went to London and became a leading figure in the abolition movement. Olaudah published his story in ?The life and travels of Olaudah Equiano? which became a best seller and has recently been re-published by Penguin classics. Jayne?s story is told through the voice and body of an elderly caretaker in a museum, somewhere in the South West. The story starts at 7.30pm. It lasts for one hour, and is performed in the round, in an approximate circle of five to six metres in diameter. For more information contact the church office on 01822 611049.
