A Kabaddi player rescues a young woman from an unwanted marriage and hides her in his home.

Hollywood’s so-called Golden Age. Ten years before becoming the first Black man to win an Oscar, a young Sidney Poitier arrives to sign a life-changing contract that could make him a star. But there’s a catch. As he becomes entangled in events larger than he imagined, Sidney is forced to make an impossible choice – one that will reshape his future, the Civil Rights Movement, and the soul of a nation. From award-winning writer Ryan Calais Cameron (For Black Boys…), exploring integrity, betrayal, and the personal cost of success, Retrograde asks what would you sacrifice to achieve your dream? Backed by double Oscar and BAFTA nominee Colman Domingo as producer, Amit Sharma’s ‘perfectly pitched production’ (Independent) features Ivanno Jeremiah (Constellations), Stanley Townsend (Kaos) and Oliver Johnstone (Antigone).

Following its sold out run at the Kiln Theatre,Ryan Calais Cameron‘s’electrifying’ (Evening Standard)Retrogradecomes to the Apollo Theatre for a strictly limited run.



Ten years before he becomes the first Black man to win the Oscar for Best Actor, this gripping drama captures the moment a young Sidney Poitier prepares to sign a career-defining Hollywood contract that could make him a star. But there’s a catch. Will he put his career before his principles? In a time of betrayals, will he name names? Will he sign his life away?



Inspired by real events, this ‘exceptional’ (The Guardian) play directed bythe Kiln Theatre’s Artistic Director Amit Sharma, features Ivanno Jeremiah(Constellations) reprising his ‘tremendous’ (Time Out) performance as Sidney Poitier, opposite Stanley Townsend(Netflix’s Kaos) andOliver Johnstone (Antigone).



Retrograde follows Ryan’s smash hit ‘modern masterpiece’ (The Sunday Times)For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy – so good it sold out twice – and is backed by double Oscar and BAFTA nominee Colman Domingo as producer.

Tells the story of Barbara Lisicki and Alan Holdsworth, two disabled cabaret artists who met in1989 and became the driving force behind Direct Action Network - whose protests pushed disability rights into the spotlight.