In the appendix of Michèle Mendelssohn’s Making Oscar Wilde there’s a tantalising teaser. When Oscar Wilde toured the US, he likely had one or more African American valets. One of them may have been called Stephen.

That small detail sparked something. Playwright Bobby Theodore and I began to imagine the life of this man—whom we call Stephen Stephens—if he had returned to the UK with Oscar Wilde.

We started collaborating in February 2024 after receiving seed funding from The Cultural Programme at the University of Oxford. Since Bobby is based in Canada, much of our work has been done remotely.

At first, our play focused on the relationship between Wilde and Stephens. But soon, we became more interested in Stephens himself: who he was, and what his life might have been before he ever met Wilde. For his background, I drew inspiration from African American people who had been enslaved and later through incredible efforts returned to West Africa—stories that too often go unheard.

Although the play is set in present-day Oxford and guided by two students—Itara and Ernest—it unfolds through magical realism, allowing us to travel between time and place.

In October 2024, we shared a sold-out work-in-progress reading at Blackwell’s in Oxford. Now, a year later, we are delighted to invite you to a rehearsed reading at the Old Fire Station on 29 October 2025.

We’d love to see you there!

https://oldfirestation.org.uk

The photo of Bobby and I was taken by the wonderful Sarah Halliday.

The poster for our rehearsed reading is by: Josphat Kiriga & Mumbi Muturi