Corrib Theatre Presents the West Coast Premiere of
The Perfect Immigrant
by Samuel Yakura
A solo performance exploring migration, family, and the distance between home and self.
Levi, a young Nigerian man pursuing a master’s degree in Dublin, builds a life for himself while navigating the expectations placed on him by his family, his new community, and himself. The play captures the everyday realities of migration and assimilation, from learning local customs, experiencing racism overseas, and striving to hold onto the tastes and traditions of home.
Premiering on the West Coast, this one-man performance unfolds through direct address, memory, and shifting perspectives, weaving together prose, poetry, music, and movement to draw the audience into Levi’s inner world. The production will feature a live West African musician, whose presence underscores the rhythms of home, distance, and transformation, continuing Corrib’s signature integration of live music into theatrical storytelling.
Originally written and performed by Samuel Yakura for Dublin Fringe Festival 2022, directed by Katie O'Halloran.
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30, Sundays at 2:00
The Perfect Immigrant is made possible with generous support from
Charlotte Rubin
‘This witty and carefully crafted confessional show, sliced up via fervent spoken word poems, centres on family dynamics, the experience of emigrating to a foreign land, and the feeling of being an outsider for the first time.’ ★★★★
—Buzz.ie
About the Playwright
Samuel Yakura is an award-nominated Nigerian-Irish multidisciplinary artist, recognised as one of the most compelling voices in Ireland’s contemporary creative scene. A poet, playwright, and performer, he has won multiple poetry slam championships across both Nigeria and Ireland, establishing a reputation for work that is both emotionally charged and culturally incisive.
His debut poetry play, The Perfect Immigrant, received multiple award nominations and toured nationally in 2023, marking him as a significant emerging force in theatre. He has collaborated with leading cultural institutions including Poetry Ireland, the Abbey Theatre, and Dublin Fringe.
Samuel is the co-founder of Wearegriot Poetry Collective, the driving force behind Talkatives, one of Dublin’s largest and most vibrant poetry slams. He is a Next Wave Playwright with the National Theatre and a recent cohort member of the Rachel Baptiste Programme.
His work interrogates the human condition through the lenses of identity, migration, and cross-cultural experience. He is currently developing new projects, including SOAK and Citizens of Nowhere.
Creative Team
Bobby Bermea
Director
Kyra Sanford
Scenic & Props Design
Kelly Terry
Lighting Design
Costume Design
‘As a Nigerian in Ireland, Levi is being constantly othered: his reciprocal othering of Irish culture is effective and funny
—The Irish Times
The Perfect Immigrant Supporters
Season Sponsor: The Ronni S. Lacroute Fund of Oregon Community Foundation
Production Sponsor: Charlotte Rubin
“She guesses his name. And he gets so angry that he stamps the ground. He stamps the ground and the earth opens up and swallows him whole.”
— from Stilt by Joy Nesbitt