Utopia Theatre

22/06/2026

TECH WEEK BEGINS, AND THE SWAMP IS WAKING UP…

Huge appreciation to our incredible creative team as they begin transforming the Utopia space into a living, breathing swamp for The Swamp Dwellers.

Lighting Designer Chris Newsome, Sound Designer Rob Hart, and Stage Manager Vicky Shannon have spent this opening day of tech week weaving together light, sound, atmosphere and practical magic to create a world that feels ancient, ancestral and alive working in the set created by Sarah Lewis-Cole.

What was once a familiar Utopia performance space is slowly becoming a place of mist, shadows, unseen creatures and hidden stories, a swamp that breathes alongside the characters who inhabit it.

Tomorrow the actors in costumes designed by Emma Walker join Director Mojisola Kareem in the space to complete the creative circle.

This is the exciting moment when design ideas leap off the page and become something audiences can step into and experience. We can’t wait to share the results.
With just 50 seats available per performance, tickets are limited.

Dates: Monday 29 June to Saturday 11 July
Times: Evenings 7pm, Sat afternoons 2pm
Venue: Utopia Creative Hub, Rockingham Gate S1 4JD
Tickets: £20 / £12 concessions

Ticket link in bio

21/06/2026

HOW OFTEN DO YOU GET THE CHANCE TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST CELEBRATED WRITERS?

To coincide with our production of The Swamp Dwellers, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, Professor Wole Soyinka will join us for a special audience Q&A. He’ll be sharing his thoughts on creativity, storytelling, social change and the enduring relevance of The Swamp Dwellers.

We’re offering 5 exclusive places to join this event to be held week beginning 6 July in Sheffield.

✨ To enter, simply DM us with the words “PROF SOYINKA”.

Places are extremely limited and will be allocated to the first five eligible responses.

Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity to meet one of the most influential literary voices of our time.

21/06/2026

JOIN US AT UTOPIA’S OPEN MIC NIGHT, LIVE FROM THE SWAMP!

This month’s Open Mic will be in the heart of the swamps, where the spirits are restless, the audience is lively and the mosquitos are fierce!

Join us for an evening of creativity, connection, and entertainment. Expect an eclectic mix of live music, poetry, dance, DJ sets, spoken word, and all kinds of artistic surprises in a welcoming and supportive atmosphere.

Sunday 5 July
Doors open 5.30pm | 6pm–8pm
Utopia Theatre Creative Hub
Sheffield City Centre

Our Open Mic Nights regularly fill up quickly, please reserve your seat via the link in our bio and be part of a supportive and encouraging night of art, entertainment, networking and connection. All Welcome!

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR THE SWAMP DWELLERS PRODUCTION TOO:
📅 29 June – 11 July
🕖 Evenings 7pm | Saturday matinees 2pm
📍 Utopia Creative Hub, Rockingham Gate, Sheffield S1 4JD
🎫 £20 | £12 concessions

Only 50 seats so book early via https://wegottickets.com/utopiatheatre

20/06/2026

✨ Nobel Prize winner. Global literary icon. A rare opportunity.

Very soon, five people will have the chance to join an exclusive audience Q&A with Professor Wole Soyinka.

Details revealed at 6pm on Sunday 21 June…

19/06/2026

What if we told you that one of the world’s greatest living writers is coming to Sheffield?

Keep watching. Details soon!

17/06/2026

JOIN MR CULTURE FOR A HANDS-ON DRUMMING WORKSHOP!

Booking is now open for a special West African drumming workshop with Mr Culture, performer and drummer in The Swamp Dwellers.

📅 Wednesday 8 July
⏰ 2pm–3pm
📍 Utopia Creative Hub

Learn traditional West African rhythms, explore drumming for theatre and storytelling, and build confidence, coordination and creativity.

✨ No experience necessary
🎟️ £5 per person
⚠️ Only 20 places available

Book now via https://wegottickets.com/utopiatheatre

You can also book tickets for The Swamp Dwellers at the same link.

More than 65 years after it was written, Wole Soyinka’s powerful drama remains strikingly relevant, exploring climate change, migration, survival and the search for a better future.

🎟️ Only 50 seats per performance.

15/06/2026

WHY DOES A PLAY WRITTEN IN 1958 STILL FEEL SO URGENT TODAY?

In this short video, Director Mojisola Kareem shares her thoughts on the enduring power of Wole Soyinka’s The Swamp Dwellers and why its themes continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

More than 65 years after it was written, The Swamp Dwellers remains startlingly relevant—a gripping story of climate crisis, migration, survival and the choices that shape our futures.

Powerful. Relevant. Unmissable.

With only 50 seats per performance, tickets are limited.

🎟 Book now at https://wegottickets.com/utopiatheatre

Dates: Monday 29 June to Saturday 11 July
Times: Evenings 7pm, Sat afternoons 2pm
Venue: Utopia Creative Hub, Rockingham Gate S1 4JD
Tickets: £20 / £12 concessions

14/06/2026

On air now!!

TONIGHT on Inside the Continent – AVP goes behind the scenes!

We all love a powerful story – but what goes into bringing one to life on stage?

Ahead of the much-anticipated production of The Swamp Dwellers (written by Wole Soyinka and directed by Dr Mojisola Kareem), as media partners with Utopia Theatre, our team at African Voices Platform slipped into rehearsals to catch up with Jude Akuwudike – who plays Makuri – right after a run-through.

Jude shares what it has felt like stepping into this classic, how the cast are gelling, and why this play – set to run at Utopia Theatre Creative Hub in Sheffield from 29 June to 11 July – hits close to home for so many of us.

Catch the full interview and all the energy from behind the scenes today on Inside the Continent with Baillor Jalloh.

14/06/2026

Looking forward to this!

TONIGHT on Inside the Continent – AVP goes behind the scenes!

We all love a powerful story – but what goes into bringing one to life on stage?

Ahead of the much-anticipated production of The Swamp Dwellers (written by Wole Soyinka and directed by Dr Mojisola Kareem), as media partners with Utopia Theatre, our team at African Voices Platform slipped into rehearsals to catch up with Jude Akuwudike – who plays Makuri – right after a run-through.

Jude shares what it has felt like stepping into this classic, how the cast are gelling, and why this play – set to run at Utopia Theatre Creative Hub in Sheffield from 29 June to 11 July – hits close to home for so many of us.

Catch the full interview and all the energy from behind the scenes today on Inside the Continent with Baillor Jalloh.

13/06/2026

WHAT A DAY IN REHEARSALS!!!

For Makuri this is a day that will never be forgotten..

The Swamp Dwellers is a powerful, emotionally charged story of family, hope, loss, faith and survival.

With just 50 seats available per performance, tickets are limited.

Dates: Monday 29 June to Saturday 11 July
Times: Evenings 7pm, Sat afternoons 2pm
Venue: Utopia Creative Hub, Rockingham Gate S1 4JD
Tickets: £20 / £12 concessions

🎟 Book now at https://wegottickets.com/utopiatheatre