蜜芽传媒

Ishmael is a young gay man who flees Zimbabwe when his relationship with another man is discovered. Rejected by his former lover, who has already secured asylum and won't speak up for him, Ishmael is sent to Leeds in the UK, where he awaits the outcome of his application, friendless and lonely in a damp flat with a broken bed. In Leeds, Ishmael shares a flat with an Iranian man called Cyrus.

That's the essence of "Nine Lives", a new play showing at London's Arcola theatre.

Weekend's Nuala McGovern has been speaking to the playwright, Zodwa Nyoni. She was born in Zimbabwe but grew up in Leeds. She told Nuala about Ishmael's arrival in the UK.

(Photo: Playwright Zodwa Nyoni. Credit:Richard Davenport)