An award-winning one woman show, Woke, comes to The Courtyard on Monday, April 8, when Apphia Campbell tells the story of two women who, more than 40 years apart, become involved in the fight for civil rights.

Originally from Sarasota, Apphia who co-created the show with Meredith Yarbrough, is also the creator of Black is the Color of My Voice, a story inspired by the life of Nina Simone, and the first piece she had written.

Originally from Sarasota, Apphia has been in the UK since 2015 having moved here from Shanghai after coming for a festival, and meeting her husband here

It (Woke) started because I was really interested in a piece a friend had written in college about Assata Shakur, a member of the Black Liberation Army in the 70s, who became one of the FBI’s most wanted, and I asked her if she was going to do anything with it and, if she wasn't, would she mind if I used it.

Meredith and I came up with the concept of the show embracing both past and present together. We started talking about Ferguson, where Michael Brown was shot and killed by a while police officer, sparking protests in the city, and she had had an experience with the police when she went back to America that, as she's white, made her think 'what if I were black'. It was quite an experience for her so she was really wanting to write about it, and really keen to come on board. And so we came up with Ambrosia

It came together pretty quickly because I had applied for funding through Creative Scotland and then it came through so I said let's write the piece.

And came up with the concept of Ambrosia, the secondary character, a university student at the time of the Ferguson riots.

Set against a powerful soundtrack of original music and traditional gospel and blues sung live, the two women challenge the American justice system, become criminalised through political activism, and ultimately are faced with the same choice: stay and fight, or flee?

"The aim for me was to understand what the messages were that the media were putting out," says Apphia. "Is this what America has become and when we started digging deeper we saw how people's sense of oppression led to the upset about the Michael Brown shooting. We wanted to show that side of the story."

The show premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe, where it won the Scotsman Fringe First Award. "It was very very exciting because it was a really passionate piece, and it was nice to see people really getting with, not just the critics," Apphia recalls. "I remember going out (after the show) one day and meeting two Americans and they were sitting sobbing and hugging. Seeing that and how people are really affected by it is really encouraging. I've even had people come up to me after the show and ask what they can do, and I find that really encouraging.

"I feel there's been a lot of stages (in the struggle for human rights) - in the 60s segregation was very apparent, in the present the system of oppression you could see in the 60s is not so blatant, and seeing that I do think there's been progress made, but sometimes I think it's just taken a different form of oppression.

"The documentary, 13th, inspired me, and opened my eyes to the system and how it's used to oppress people within the US and how it's so hard if you don't come from a family with money or know how to defend yourself from the system. I asked my dad who's a lawyer if the system is really set up for people to have their day in court."Without the means to defend yourself, you have to win if you go to trial. And if you take a plea deal, it takes away all your rights."

The title, Woke, references a political term of African American origin referring to a perceived awareness of issues concerning social justice and racial justice.

See Woke at The Courtyard on Monday, April 8 at 7.45pm. To book, call the box office on 01432 340555 or visit