• Venue Royal Court Theatre, London
  • Performance dates 14 November 2026 - 19 December 2026
  • Age guidelines 14+

In 1964, as America and the Soviet Union trained their eyes on the moon, a Zambian schoolteacher named Edward Mukuka Nkoloso gathered a group of misfit dreamers in a field outside Lusaka and began training them to reach the stars. Armed with little more than ambition and improvised equipment, Nkoloso launched the Zambian Space Program, and wrote himself into one of history’s most defiant and extraordinary footnotes. Now, his story gets the world premiere it deserves.

The Afronauts in London

The Afronauts is written by Sky Arts Award-winning playwright Ryan Calais Cameron (For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy and Retrograde) and is co-directed by Cameron alongside Monique Touko, whose credits include the celebrated West End transfer of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.

Closing the Royal Court Theatre’s 70th anniversary season, the production runs in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs from 14 November to 19 December 2026.

What to expect

The Afronauts is bold, joyful and politically alive: a play that uses the improbable true story of the Zambian Space Program to ask larger questions about ambition, independence and whose dreams the world is prepared to take seriously.

Expect something that feels genuinely alive on stage: a story about reaching for the impossible, told by two of the most exciting theatre-makers working in Britain today.

Book The Afronauts tickets

The Afronauts plays the Royal Court Theatre’s Jerwood Theatre Downstairs from 14 November to 19 December 2026. As a strictly limited world premiere run at one of Britain’s most celebrated theatres, demand is expected to be high. Book early to secure your preferred date.

Zambia, 1964. The Cold War space race is at its peak and a new contender has entered. A schoolteacher, armed with improvised equipment, unshakeable belief and a group of misfit young dreamers, sets out to train Zambia’s first astronauts and reach the moon before the world’s superpowers.

The Afronauts tells the true(ish) story of the Zambian Space Program and the extraordinary man at its heart: a story about what it means to dream defiantly, publicly and without apology, in a world that has already decided what you are capable of.

Written by Ryan Calais Cameron and co-directed by Cameron and Monique Touko, this world premiere at the Royal Court Theatre’s Jerwood Theatre Downstairs closes the theatre’s landmark 70th anniversary season.

As Cameron has put it: “The Afronauts is a love letter to the dreamers history forgot. It’s about what happens when imagination becomes a form of resistance, and how the fight for freedom isn’t just political, it’s cosmic.” A play about reaching for the stars — in every sense.

Performance Information

Check booking calendar for full details

Tickets by Month
Nov 2026
Dec 2026

Stars and Creatives

Who is in the cast of The Afronauts?

  • Edward: Lucian Msamati
  • Matha: Ama Qamata
  • Simon: Ivanno Jeremiah
  • Ben: Chomba S. Taulo
  • Cheelo: Munashe Chirisa
  • Grace: Pamela Nomvete
  • Liji: Lukwesa Mwamba
  • David: Prince Kundai

Who are the creative team of The Afronauts?

The creatives

  • Writer: Ryan Calais Cameron
  • Co-Directors: Ryan Calais Cameron and Monique Touko

Important Notes

The Afronauts is recommended for ages 14 and above. Under 14s will not be admitted.

Venue Information

Royal Court Theatre , Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AS

Nearest Tube or Train: Sloane Square (Circle Line, District Line)

Nearest Buses: 19, 22, 319, C1, N19, N22, 137, 452

Directions

Google Apple

Frequently Asked Questions

The Afronauts is playing at the Royal Court Theatre in London
The age recommendations for The Afronauts are: 14+
To buy official London Theatre tickets to The Afronauts, click on the Get Tickets button at the top of this page. You will be able to access the booking calendar to check live ticket availability and prices and see any exclusive offers or discounts. You will be purchasing tickets from an authorised retailer and member of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers.
Yes, The Afronauts has matinee performances on the following days: Thursday, Saturday

The Afronauts is one of the most anticipated world premieres of the 2026/27 theatre season: a bold, joyful and politically resonant new play from one of British theatre’s most celebrated writers, co-directed by two of the most exciting theatre-makers working today.

The play is based on the true story of Edward Mukuka Nkoloso and the Zambian Space Program, which Nkoloso launched in 1964 following Zambian independence. The production describes itself as the “true(ish)” story: rooted in real historical events but dramatised for the stage.

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