Copperbelt (2026)

Produced by

Canada’s National Arts Centre and Soulpepper Theatre Company

Playwright: Natasha Mumba
Director: Nina Lee Aquino

Venue

The Marilyn and Charles Baillie Theatre

Run

February 7th, 2026 – March 1st, 2026

Synopsis

Eden has left her wealthy family in Zambia to build an independent life for herself in Toronto, where she works as a junior operations manager at a prestigious international mining firm. But when her estranged father falls ill, she is forced to return home to the Copperbelt and confront the very problems she has been trying to escape. While she can change her name, can she truly break free from the hold her family has over her personal and professional future?

Natasha Mumba’s world premiere takes its audience from The Big Smoke to Zambia’s Copperbelt unraveling the secrets and power struggles within the Kasuba family, as Eden grapples with the tension between her personal ambitions, her family’s expectations, and the steep price some must pay for success. (soulpepper.ca)

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Cast

Natasha Mumba	Eden
Rick Roberts	Peter
Kapembwa Wanjelani	Chimfwembe Kasuba
Eric Miracle	Musolo
Warona Setshwaelo	Harriet Kasuba
Kondwani Elliott Zulu	Dalitso
Makambe K. Simamba	Lombe

Creative Team

Natasha Mumba	Playwright
Nina Lee Aquino	Director
Tawiah Ben M’carthy	Movement Director
Ric Knowles	Dramaturge
Rachel Forbes	Set Designer
Rachel Forbes	Costume Designer
Michelle Ramsay	Lighting Designer
Romeo Candido	Sound Designer
Romeo Candido	Composer
Chiluba Katongo Nsofu	Dialect Coach
Chiluba Katongo Nsofu	Cultural Consultant
Richard Lee	Fight Director
Nikki Mabias	Assistant Set Designer
Nikki Mabias	Assistant Costume Designer
Nathan Bruce	Associate Lighting Designer
Christine Lee	Associate Sound Designer
Tamara Protić	Stage Manager
Neha Ross	Assistant Stage Manager
Austin Kaluba	Bemba Linguist

Production

Andy DeVries	Head Carpenter
Paul Boddum	Head Scenic Artist
Lisa Nighswander	Head of Properties
Ellie Koffman	Head of Wardrobe
Claudia Matas	Assistant Head of Wardrobe
Jacqueline Robertson-Cull	Head of Wigs
Leanne Cecchetto	Dresser
Gunes Agduk	Lighting Operator
Benjamin Vukelic	Audio Operator
Dalton Villeneuve-Marini	Deck Operator

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