INTRODUCTION

How many Black British plays can you name?

I posed this question to actors, students, and teachers and saw the same embarrassed look on their faces as they struggled to name more than five plays. Their faces changed to utter dismay when I told them that after setting up and managing the Black British Play Archive at the Royal National Theatre, I had rediscovered over 400 plays written by Black British playwrights which had been professionally performed on stage in Britain. This was the very question that inspired me to create the first collection of monologue books for Black British actors and practitioners.

Before working on the Black British play archive, admittedly, I simply lacked any knowledge of the Black British play canon, and instead I sought validation from the work of Black American writers, namely Lorraine Hansberry and Ntozake Shange. I still remember receiving my first black play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf by Ntozake Shange, given to me by Rebecca Prichard after I performed in her play Fairgame produced by the Royal Court Theatre which was staged at the Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martins Lane. There was an overwhelming feeling of validation when reading this play. It reflected parts of my culture, language, song, history. Needless to say For Colored Girls was the first play I directed at university. I feel strongly that it is imperative for people of colour to have an awareness of work which exists and reflects their history.

After graduating from Roehampton University in 2004, I gained the opportunity to assist the direction of the production Oxford Street by Black British playwright Levi David Addai at the Royal Court Theatre (2008). I later discovered the significance of working at the Royal Court Theatre, as it was the first theatre venue in London to stage and offer dramaturgical support to new plays written by Black British playwrights.

The birth of Black British theatre companies happened in the 1970s and 1980s, created by leading black actors, directors and writers who desperately wanted to provide a wider platform for their peers, other upcoming black artists and themselves. Examples of such companies include, Black Theatre Co-operative (now Nitro) co-founded in 1979 by Trinidadian playwright Mustapha Matura and British director Charlie Hanson. Carib Theatre was formed in 1983 founded by Jamaican-born actor, director and producer Anton Phillips. Temba, formed in 1972, was co-founded by actor Oscar James and Alton Kumalo. Talawa Theatre Company was founded in 1985 by Yvonne Brewster, Mona Hammond, Carmen Monroe and Inigo Espejel. Foco Novo Theatre Company was founded in 1971 by British director Roland Rees, American playwright Bernard Pomerance, and British producer David Aukinand. Black Mime Theatre was founded in 1987 by David Boxer and Sarah Cahn, to name but a few.

The social change in the theatre landscape presented an abundance of new plays from black Caribbean and African writers. An exciting time for Black British work. Sadly, many of these companies saw closure due to lack of funding; even now black theatre companies still struggle to produce the amount of work desired. Moreover plays by Black British playwrights failed to have more than one stage production of their work.

In 2010, I was head-hunted by Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE to manage his Black British Play Archive project at the Royal National Theatre. In the two years I spent setting up and managing the Black British Play Archive, I was able to re-discover and read a significant number of plays in the region of around 400 plays from the 1930s to 2012. I was also fortunate to work with many of the original founders ‘the Grandfathers and Grandmothers’ of Black British theatre companies and original cast members for the shows, which formed the basis of my education of Black British play history. Directing plays with some of the original cast members who freely shared anecdotes with the younger members in the cast was an invaluable experience.

This project was more than just a project: it validated my existence in a world that I didn’t think black people really existed in. There were many times that I would read or direct a Black British play and find myself laughing hysterically, crying or simply whole-heartedly agreeing with the statements made in the play. For the first time I was able to read plays which I had an emotional connection to. I could identify with the characters and their stories. I learnt more about our Black British history, cultural heritage and black iconic figures like Toussaint L’Overture, Maurice Bishop and Muhammad Ali.

I loved reading the earlier plays, which I refer to as ‘classic’ plays from writers like Derek Walcott, Barry Reckord, Errol John, Alfred Fagon, and Jackie Kay as these were the writers that helped pave the way for a new generation of writers. When asked to suggest a classical play for the Sustained Theatre ‘Exploring the Canon’ event at Arcola Theatre, for me it was quite simple. I had just finished reading Errol John’s play, Moon on a Rainbow Shawl and took the pleasure of directing the play with Martina Laird, Shyko Amos with actors from Acting Touring Company. I was even more delighted that after bringing this play to the Royal National Theatre’s attention the play was rightfully given another stage production on the National Theatre’s Cottlesloe stage in 2012.

Inspired by both classical and modern plays, I decided that I wanted to create a book which would provide readers with an insight into the breadth of work featured in the Black British play canon. This collection of monologues is orchestrated to capture the diversity of characters, themes, language and styles that have been used by Black British playwrights to tell the stories of Black British experiences.

This book aims to celebrate writers who have paved the way for the next generation and those who have taken the baton and continue to produce exceptional and groundbreaking work.

For the purpose of this book, I have only included plays which have been published to encourage readers to invest in the full-length version of the plays. I hope that actors will enjoy working on these speeches, using them to help strengthen their craft, and by doing so, help to ensure these plays are always remembered.

Many people have asked me about my motivation for writing this book; my response would be: I guess it’s hard to look for something when you don’t quite know what you’re looking for?

Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway