Kubulaya - AWAY FROM HOME
WORKS
AWAY FROM HOME (R&D) - 2024
Written and Directed by John Rwothomack
Status: RnD Funded by Arts Council England
Seeking partnership and funding for the production
Kubulaya: Away From Home is an exploration of how migration tests the bonds of marriage.
It looks at how inequalities, shifting gender and identity roles, changes in community, government policies and faith all play a part in separations - and often, the return of one spouse to their home country.
The show was shaped by the real-life experiences of sub-Saharan African women and men who migrated to Sheffield, as well as John Rwothomack’s move to northern England from northern Uganda at the age of 11.
The show’s first act was shared to sold out audiences in January 2026.
It is set in Sheffield on Ntanda's 17th birthday.
Her mum, Vera, is a busy nurse. Her dad, Nelson, is a care worker mourning his former life in Zambia as a businessman and her older brother, Mulenga, is home from university.
Gifts are opened, and games are played until a shocking admission, which threatens to change all of their lives forever, is made.
Kubulaya: Away From Home also features original music written by Zambian musician James Sakala.
When complete the final production will have nine scenes, inspired by the nine wedding traditions of the Bemba culture in Zambia.
Read more: Northern Arts Review
“After Kubulaya, Away From Home, someone told me they finally started to understand their dad.”
John Rwothomack, artistic director 