The (Incomplete) Lit in Colour Play List - 2023 by Nick Hern Books

The (Incomplete) Lit in Colour Play List Plays written by writers of colour for 11-18 year-olds (and beyond) 2023 bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

In collaboration with:

Can you recommend a play by a writer of colour? This was a question raised by an audience member at a teacher webinar we attended back in 2021 and became the start of Bloomsbury’s Partnership in the Lit in Colour campaign, founded by Penguin Books and the Runnymede Trust. Under our Methuen Drama imprint, we are the UK’s largest play publisher and have been working for some time to diversify the voices and stories we publish in our play portfolio. We feel passionately about the importance of drama as a genre of study at KS3, GCSE and A Level as well as in the younger years, so we want to bring our unique focus on drama texts to the Lit in Colour campaign to help move the curriculum forward. The research we conducted last year set out to understand what teachers and students require in order to study the work of more diverse playwrights, and what might be getting in their way. The findings starkly showed that this process will take time and involve more than simply shaking up the list of set texts on the English and Drama GCSE and A Level specifications – though this is progress indeed. Our hope is that this List will become a useful resource for teachers, examiners and students looking for more diverse plays to study and perform.

With the right support and

resources, 84% of survey respondents said they would likely choose a new drama text for GCSE English Literature. From Bloomsbury Lit in Colour: A Spotlight on Plays and Drama Research Report

Why have an (incomplete) list? We asked our three Lit in Colour advisors, mezze eade, Pooja Ghai and Hannah Khalil, for their help in selecting plays they would recommend to teachers looking to diversify their English or Drama curriculum. They selected 172 plays from a list of plays published by Methuen Drama and our fellow play publishers, Faber and Nick Hern Books. There are so many plays to choose from that it is inevitable this list must always be incomplete. We are starting with 57 plays, so as not to overwhelm teachers looking for new texts to share with their students. We will release a further list in 2024 and annually thereafter.

A note from our Lit in Colour advisors: This is a key resource for anyone looking for “a character and story that reflects their identity and experience, and an essential list for young people, Drama and English teachers... anyone who is interested in broadening their experience and knowledge. It is the answer to the statements ‘But there aren’t many plays by writers of colour’ and ‘I don’t know where to look.’ It is the catalyst for discovering many playwrights of the ethnic Global Majority in the UK and from all over the world. – mezze eade, Diversity and Inclusion Associate at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and an Education Associate at The Old Vic

“

What a wealth of riches are here, with many more to follow. The breadth of plays and subject matter by Global Majority writers is breathtaking, making it very difficult to select just 57 for this first instalment of the (Incomplete) List, but I feel sure there is something for everyone here, with much more to come… – Hannah Khalil, Awardwinning playwright and the 2022 Writer in Residence at the Globe Theatre

”

brilliant that we now have this resource which acts as a gateway “to Ittheis rich and textured perspectives of Global Majority writers. It has been like sifting through a treasure chest of life, full of imagination, history, wisdom and knowledge. This resource helps bridge the gap between the education and cultural sectors, introducing teachers, students and theatre makers at all levels of their careers to explore playwrights from the Global Majority. There is something here for everyone. Explore. Enjoy. Share.” – Pooja Ghai, Artistic Director at Tamasha and an award-winning director, actor and mentor

”

With thanks to Our thanks go to Nick Hern Books and Faber for their collaboration and input into this List. We hope that by providing a publisher-agnostic list of plays, it gives schools a useful and accessible guide to plays available to perform and study.

A note from Nick Hern Books “In the last few years, the UK theatre industry has (at last) embraced a greater range of voices and perspectives on its stages. At Nick Hern Books we believe we have a parallel responsibility – and we strive to improve inclusivity and diversity by showcasing outstanding work by Global Majority writers. In 2022, almost 30% of the plays we published were by writers of colour. This (Incomplete) List, as part of the wider Lit in Colour campaign, is a vital opening gambit in introducing the work of Global Majority playwrights, and a bold attempt to widen and diversify the canon. We hope that it leads to you discovering exciting, resonant plays to read, study or perform.”

Matt Applewhite, Managing Director, Nick Hern Books www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

A note from Faber “Faber is always looking for ways to actively engage in broadening access to, and visibility for, marginalised work. We are delighted, therefore, to contribute to this Lit in Colour campaign. We want these resources to help teachers and students discover some wonderful playwrights from the Global Majority, and bring their characters into classrooms across the country. These plays offer access to an important and inspirational diversity of culture and heritage; to voices in which students can hear and recognise themselves and their friends; and to beautiful, funny, tragic, mind-expanding stories. We’d love to hear of them being studied more widely.”

Dinah Wood, Editorial Director, Drama, Faber www.faber.co.uk

Our thanks also go to Concord Theatricals, and the National Theatre, Tamasha, the RSC, National Youth Theatre, Paines Plough and Rose Theatre, and Leeds Playhouse and the associated photographers for the inclusion of the play production images within this List.

How to use this guide Over the next 31 pages you’ll find information about 57 plays by writers of colour in alphabetical order by surname which are intended for you to explore with your secondary English and Drama students. In general, we have featured one play from a playwright (though we encourage you to dig deeper into their portfolio, and to help you do so, we’ve highlighted other plays that may also be of interest). The original Lit in Colour research report showed that the majority of respondents understood ‘author of colour’ and ‘character of colour’ to include British and World authors, including Black, Asian, Jewish and other Minority Ethnic groups. In light of this we have included authors from these ethnic groups in this (Incomplete) Play List. All of these plays are broadly suitable for study with secondary school students aged 11-18. We have given some information about each play, which we hope will give teachers an overview of the synopsis and themes, but have avoided including age recommendations since some plays will work well at different age levels depending on students’ lived experience. We have added content warnings where relevant, though they are by no means exhaustive and we recommend teachers read the work in full before selecting a play to study with their class. Many of the plays featured in this List are available as free inspection copies for you to review with your class before purchasing. Please check individual publisher websites for this information which are linked throughout. We have also highlighted the plays that feature on exam boards’ set text lists, although all plays listed here could supplement the set text lists and most would make excellent NEA text performance options or could be used for devising and textual exploration. (It’s worth noting that any NEA text choices will need to be checked against your exam board specification requirements.) On pages 37 and 38 we’ve added an index by theme should you wish to choose plays on a specific topic covered by your curriculum specifications or for a scheme of work. We hope you and your students will have fun exploring the plays – dive in!

Margaret Bartley, Editorial Director, English, Drama and Performance, Bloomsbury Publishing

Contents

(Playwrights arranged in alphabetical order by surname)

A-F..................................................... p6-15 G-K................................................. p16-22 L-P.................................................. p23-29 Q-W.............................................. p30-36 Index by theme.................p37+38

The Empress Photo by Ellie Kurttz © RSC

Playwrights A-F

Set text: Pearson Edexcel GCSE Drama

Gone Too Far! Bola Agbaje Nigeria, England, America, Jamaica; are you proud of where you’re from? Dark-skinned, light-skinned, afro, weaves; who are your true brothers and sisters? When two brothers from different continents go down the street to buy a pint of milk, they lift the lid on a disunited nation where everyone wants to be an individual but no one wants to stand out from the crowd. Set on a London housing estate, this play depicts the experience of young multicultural Londoners and the issues of identity and culture that both unite and divide the characters. The play premiered at the Royal Court Theatre as part of its Young Writers Festival on 2 February 2007, and was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, 2008. This version is an abridged form of the play published as part of Methuen Drama’s Plays For Young People series.

ISBN: 9781350261037 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Society, Cultural Difference, Identity, National Identity, Race, Violence, Youth Content Warnings: Occasional Swearing www.bloomsbury.com/gone-too-far-9781350261037

Also by Bola Agbaje: Belong, Not Black and White,

Off the Endz

Photos by Isha Shah for National Youth

Theatre

Additional teaching resources available: Pearson Edexcel Gone Too Far Teaching Guide Royal Court Theatre In Conversation with Bola Agbaje

6 | Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

GCSE (9–1) Drama Prescribed Text Guide Gone Too Far!, Bola Agbaje Issue 1

Gone Too Far! Production

Playwrights A-F

The Christ of Coldharbour Lane Oladipo Agboluaje A revolutionary preacher begs the crowds to ‘abandon the wilful peace’ that keeps them down. He tries to make them believe that things could be different. But when people pray only for a brand new car or a large KFC bucket, the citizens of Brixton need a miracle to happen…

The Christ of Coldharbour Lane premiered at the Soho Theatre in May 2007. ISBN: 9781840027853 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Class, Race, Religion, Society, Women Content Warnings: Alcohol and Drug Abuse; Swearing; Violence; Sexual References www.bloomsbury.com/christ-of-coldharbour-lane-9781840027853

Also by Oladipo Agboluaje: Class Acts, The Estate, Immune, Iya-Ile: The First Wife, New Nigerians

I Wanna Be Yours Zia Ahmed Ella is from Yorkshire. Haseeb is from London. They order a pizza. House red for Ella. Hot chocolate for Haseeb. People and playlists. Christmas and Eid. Travelcards and Megabuses. London to Leeds. Love is more than just a game for two. Especially when there’s an elephant in the room. This debut is a tender, funny, lyrical play about finding love and holding onto it with everything you’ve got. It premiered on tour of the UK in 2019, in a co-production between Paines Plough and Tamasha, including a run at the Bush Theatre, London. ISBN: 9781848429062 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: Interculturalism, Love, Race, Relationships, Romance Content Warnings: Alcohol and Drug Abuse; Swearing www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/i-wanna-be-yours

Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour | 7

Playwrights A-F

Half-Empty Glasses Dipo Baruwa-Etti Toye is preparing for his piano exam to get into a prestigious music school. He’s doing it for the contacts, the opportunity, the love of art. But when he notices the lack of Black British history in his school’s curriculum, he begins to question himself and the world around him. Toye wants to follow his dream. but he can’t let these institutions write his story. He decides to teach his classmates about Black cultural icons himself, but quickly discovers that not everyone wants Black history to be celebrated. Dipo Baruwa-Etti’s inspiring play about the pressures of being young, gifted and ready to change the world premiered at Roundabout in Kingston, in a Paines Plough and Rose Theatre production, in July 2022.

ISBN: 9780571380503 Publisher: Faber Themes: Activism, Social Change, Race, Black British History www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571380503-half-empty-glasses

Also by Dipo Baruwa-Etti: The Clinic; The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars; An unfinished man

uction for Roundabout 2022 Paines Plough and Rose Theatre prod tographise) Photo: © David Monteith-Hodge (Pho

8 | Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

Playwrights A-F

The P Word Waleed Akhtar Zafar flees homophobic persecution in Pakistan to seek asylum in the UK. Londoner Bilal (or Billy as he prefers to be known) is ground down by years of Grindr and the complexity of being a brown gay man. In Soho, at 2 a.m., parallel worlds collide – and Zafar and Billy’s lives are about to change forever. This is a sharp-witted and devastating play charting the parallel lives of two gay Pakistani men as they negotiate everything from casual hook-ups to the UK’s hostile environment. A story of who wins in the luck of life’s draw, it premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2022, directed by Anthony Simpson-Pike. It went on to win Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre at the 2023 Olivier Awards. Waleed Akhtar was named Most Promising New Playwright at the 2023 OffWestEnd Awards.

Also by Waleed Akhtar: Kabul Goes Pop:

ISBN: 9781839040948 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: Sexuality, Love and Friendship, LGBTQ+, Immigration, Race, Persecution, Mental Health, Religion Content Warnings: Racist Language www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/the-p-word

Music Television Afghanistan

Child of the Divide Sudha Bhuchar Summer 1947. Sixteen million people are on the move between India and the newly-formed Pakistan. Amid the violent political upheaval, young Pali’s fingers slip from his father’s hand, and his destiny changes forever. Lost, dispossessed and alone, Pali is saved by a Muslim family. The boy is given a new home, new family, a new name, a new faith and a new life. But seven years later, his real father returns to claim him and Pali’s life is turned upside down again. He is forced to decide who he is: the Hindu boy he was born to be, the Muslim boy he has become, or simply a child of the divide.

Child of the Divide, produced by Tamasha Theatre Company and Polka Theatre, premiered on 5 May 2006 at Polka Theatre, Wimbledon, London. This edition was published to mark the 70th anniversary of the partition of India and a new high-profile production originating once again at the Polka Theatre. Sudha Bhuchar’s remarkable story of family, identity and belonging set against a fractured landscape is a fictionalised account of real experiences, of families torn apart and of stolen pasts, where friendship and love are found in unexpected places. ISBN: 9781350059405 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Family, Identity, Religion Content Warnings: Mild Violence and Bullying References www.bloomsbury.com/child-of-the-divide-9781350059405

Also by Sudha Bhuchar: A Fine Balance;

Fourteen Songs, Two Weddings and a Funeral; My Name is….; The House of Bilquis Bibi

Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour | 9

Playwrights A-F

NW Trilogy Moira Buffini, Suhayla El-Bushra and Roy Williams Set amongst the vibrant, intense cacophony of North West London, NW Trilogy is a collection of three vivid stories, told over one performance, that remember and celebrate people who changed the course of history. The personal is political in these soulful explorations of what it means to be part of one of the most dynamic communities in the world. First, we reel to a dance hall in ‘County Kilburn’ in Moira Buffini’s Dance Floor where the Guinness flows, the music never stops and, for homesick Aoife, there’s far more at stake than a dance. In Roy Williams’s bittersweet Life of Riley, Paulette is on a journey to connect with her estranged father, Riley, a reggae musician once part of the influential Trojan Records scene, who can’t seem to let go of the past. Suhayla El-Bushra’s Waking/Walking introduces us to Anjali, a wife, mother and newly arrived migrant following Idi Amin’s expulsion of the Asian minority from Uganda, who is torn between not making a fuss and seizing her moment to take a stand as the Grunwick dispute unfolds.

NW Trilogy is powerful, funny and epic and shows us how we can change the world from our doorstep. This edition containing the 3 plays was published to coincide with the world premiere as NW Trilogy at Kiln Theatre, London, in August 2021. ISBN: 9781350288911 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Cultural Difference, History, Identity, Immigration, Romance, Family, Race, Relationships, Youth, Class, Feminism Content Warnings: Alcohol Use; Sexual References; Swearing; Racist Language www.bloomsbury.com/nw-trilogy-9781350288911

For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy Ryan Calais Cameron Father figures and fashion tips. Lost loves and jollof rice. African empires and illicit sex. Good days and bad days. Six young Black men meet for group therapy, and let their hearts – and imaginations – run wild. Located on the threshold of joyful fantasy and brutal reality, this is a world of music, movement, storytelling and verse, where six men clash and connect in a desperate bid for survival. This is a profound and playful work from multi-award-winning company Nouveau Riche and playwright Ryan Calais Cameron, whose 2021 film Typical, based on the 2019 play with Richard Blackwood, was heralded as a landmark event in digital theatre. The play first premiered at the New Diorama Theatre in 2021. ISBN: 9781350419384 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Masculinity, Mental Illness, Race, Relationships, Society, Suicide, Youth Content Warnings: Alcohol Use; Sexual References; Swearing; Racist Language; References to Suicide and Suicidal Thoughts www.bloomsbury.com/for-black-boys-who-have-considered-suicide-when-thehue-gets-too-heavy-9781350419384

10 | Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

Also by Ryan Calais Cameron: Retrograde, Human Nurture

Playwrights A-F

Hymn Lolita Chakrabarti Two men meet at a funeral. Gil knew the deceased. Benny did not. Before long their families are close. Soon they’ll be singing the same tune. Benny is a loner anchored by his wife and children. Gil longs to fulfill his potential. They develop a deep bond but as cracks appear in their fragile lives they start to realise that true courage comes in different forms. Featuring music from Gil and Benny’s lives, Lolita Chakrabarti’s searching, soulful play asks what it takes to be a good father, brother or son. This play was published to coincide with its world premiere at London’s Almeida Theatre in February 2021. ISBN: 9781350243057 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Friendship, Love, Masculinity, Music, Racism, Relationships Content Warnings: Alcohol Use; Swearing www.bloomsbury.com/hymn-9781350243057

Also by Lolita Chakrabarti: Red Velvet, Life of Pi

Set text: Pearson Edexcel GCSE Drama

The Free9 In-Sook Chappell Nine teenagers flee North Korea, dreaming of new lives in the South. But the danger is far from over. With threats around every corner, perhaps the mysterious figure of Big Brother can help them? Or is he the very person they’re running from? As their lives hang in the balance, could the teenagers’ fate ultimately come down to a garish South Korean variety show? Inspired by a true story, this is the tale of hope, escape and cultural difference. Originally commissioned as a play for the National Theatre Connections Festival 2018 and with a cast size of 10 plus an ensemble, The Free9 is a perfect contemporary drama for young people to study and perform. ISBN: 9781350258433 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Cultural Difference, Identity, Immigration, Love, Youth Content Warnings: Drug Use; Swearing www.bloomsbury.com/free9-9781350258433

Also by In-Sook Chappell: P’yongyang Additional teaching resources available: Pearson Edexcel The Free9 Teaching Guide National Theatre In Conversation with In-Sook Chappell

Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour | 11

Playwrights A-F

The Father and the Assassin Anupama Chandrasekhar Mahatma Gandhi: lawyer, champion of non-violence, beloved leader. Nathuram Godse: journalist, nationalist – and the man who murdered him. Anupama Chandrasekhar’s play traces Godse’s life over thirty years during India’s fight for independence: from a devout follower of Gandhi, through to his radicalisation and their tragic final encounter in Delhi in 1948. An essential exploration of oppression and extremism, this gripping play opened at the National Theatre, London, in May 2022, directed by Indhu Rubasingham, and was revived there in 2023. It was a finalist for the 2022-23 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. ISBN: 9781839040719 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: Death, History, National Identity, Politics, Terrorism Content Warnings: Violence; Sexual Violence www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/the-father-and-the-assassin

Also by Anupama Chandrasekhar:

When the Crows Visit, Disconnect, Free Outgoing

Set text: WJEC AS and A Level Drama and Theatre

Blues for an Alabama Sky Pearl Cleage New York City, 1930. Following a decade of explosive creativity, the Harlem Renaissance is starting to feel the bite of the Great Depression. In the face of hardship and dwindling opportunity, Angel and her friends battle to keep their artistic dreams alive. But when Angel falls for a stranger from Alabama, their romance forces the group to make good on their ambitions, or give in to the reality of the time. Pearl Cleage’s Blues for an Alabama Sky was first performed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1995. It was revived at the National Theatre, London, in 2022, directed by Lynette Linton, with a cast including Samira Wiley and Giles Terera. ISBN: 9781839040993 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: Friendship, Politics, Race, Romance, Society, Homosexuality within the African American Community in Harlem in the 1920s Content Warnings: Violence; Swearing; Racist Language www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/blues-for-an-alabama-sky

Pearl Cleage is a celebrated American playwright, novelist, poet and political activist, and was one of the first Black women in America to achieve national recognition as a dramatist. Her plays provide a remarkable and penetrating look at the African-American experience over the last century.

12 | Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

Also by Pearl Cleage: Flyin’ West

Playwrights A-F

Chewing Gum Dreams Michaela Coel Tracey Gordon, the 67 bus, friendship, sex, UK garage, school, music, teachers, friendship, periods, emergency contraceptive, arse and tits, friendship, raves, tampons, white boys, God, money. Friendship, Aaron, Candice, sex and Connor Jones. Chewing Gum Dreams is a onewoman play that recalls those last days of innocence before adulthood. Written and performed by Michaela Coel who spent her childhood in Hackney, London, Chewing Gum Dreams won the 2012 Alfred Fagon Award.

Chewing Gum Dreams was first published in 2012 premiering as a series from 6 October 2015 until 10 November 2015 on Channel 4.

ISBN: 9781350270282 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Education, Friendship, Growing Up, Race, Women Content Warnings: Sexual References; Swearing www.bloomsbury.com/chewing-gum-dreams-9781350270282

atre 2014.

Chewing Gums Dreams, National The

ction 2 on Drama Online.

Available in National Theatre Colle

Chewing Gum Dreams − Learning Guide About This Guide ...............................................................1 Background Information ..................................................2 Teaching Information ........................................................3 Production Notes Contextual Information .............................................4 Key Design Elements ................................................4 Performance Style .....................................................6 Key Moments .............................................................7 Plot Synopsis with Timecodes..........................................8 Find Out More ..................................................................13

Additional teaching resources: Play recording available on Drama Online National Theatre Learning Guide available on Drama Online

Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour | 13

Playwrights A-F Set text: OCR AS and A Level English Literature and Language

Barber Shop Chronicles Inua Ellams Newsroom, political platform, local hot spot, confession box, preacher-pulpit and football stadium. For generations, African men have gathered in barber shops to discuss the world. These are places where the banter can be barbed and the truth is always telling.

Barber Shop Chronicles, which was partly inspired by verbatim recordings, is a heart-warming, hilarious and insightful play that leaps from a barber shop in Peckham to Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lagos and Accra over the course of a single day. It was first produced by the National Theatre, Fuel and Leeds Playhouse in 2017 and is here published as a Methuen Drama Student Edition with commentary and notes by Oladipo Agboluaje.

ISBN: 9781350200142 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Family, Friendship, Masculinity, Relationships, Black Culture, Racism Content Warnings: Swearing www.bloomsbury.com/barber-shop-chronicles-9781350200142 Barber Shop Chronicles

Additional teaching resources: Play recording and learning guide

men mehn.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Setting: 6 fictional barber shops in 5 cities during 2012 UEFA Champions League final. The cities are Johannesburg (South Africa), Harare (Zimbabwe), Kampala (Uganda), Lagos (Nigeria), Accra (Ghana) and London (UK). London is the location returned to most and forms the structural spine of the play.

Structure: 14 short scenes

DID YOU KNOW?

Na de boys wey no get electricity for house, they come charge their phone, sit down, talk . . . five, six hours. They know people always come to barb so my generator will be on. Even for dark times, the barber shop na lighthouse, a beacon for the community where men come to be

The original title of the earliest draft of this play was Fast Cuts and Snapshots

In a Nutshell

The Methuen Drama Student Edition of Barber Shop Chronicles includes the play text, a commentary by Oladipo Agboluaje and notes to the play. Order your copy here: www.bloomsbury.com/barber-shop-chronicles-9781350200142

Barber Shops

In the Middle Ages, barbers (or “barber surgeons”) also served as priests since people believed that evil could be removed from someone by cutting their hair. If they weren’t engaged in hair-cutting or religious responsibilities, they may also have been doing a medical procedure, such as removing teeth, mending broken bones or bloodletting! This is why many barbers have a red, white and blue pole outside their shop with the colours and swirl-design being thought to represent bandages, blood and veins!

Themes: Black male identity; fatherhood; generations; masculinity; sexuality; sport; language; African diaspora; mental health

Inua Ellams: A brief timeline

Setting the Scene

Tokunbo, Barber Shop Chronicles, Scene 13

Black Masculinity

they migrate to London before moving to Dublin

1984

1996

Because the family are being threatened,

Barber Shop Chronicles opens at the National Theatre before transferring to Leeds Playhouse

Ellams is given

discretionary leave to remain in the UK 2009

2011

Awarded an MBE for Services to the Arts and receives an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Arts, London

Ellams becomes a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature

2017

2018

2023

I became a Black man when I arrived in England Watch this interview between Iman Amrani and Inua Ellams. What experiences and ideas has Ellams drawn from in this play?

Themes

What does it mean to be a Black man of African origin, at this fast and fluid moment in time? How much is he defined by tradition, and what is the price of escaping his past, if that’s even possible?

Ellams’s first play, The 14th Tale, is produced by Fuel and the London Word Festival

Born in northern Nigeria to a Muslim father and a Christian mother

The Playwright

New York Times

Downloadable classroom poster

DID YOU KNOW?

likely to experience According to the mental health charity Mind, Black men are more prevalence, Black symptoms of psychosis than other ethnic groups. Despite higher group. adults have the lowest mental health treatment rate of any ethnic

Original Production

• Read more and get suggested resources from Mind at www.mind.org.uk

What ideas of masculinity and identity are explored in this podcast?

• The play was in development between 2009 and 2017 and Inua Ellams travelled to Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe to do research and speak to the individuals we see represented in the play.

Historical Context

WATCH INUA ELLAMS’S TEDXBRIXTON TALK, “REDEFINING BLACK MASCULINITY” HERE

Listen to this National Theatre podcast episode on masculinity, where Ellams is one of three participants.

• Produced by Fuel, Leeds Playhouse and the National Theatre. It featured 12 actors playing 33 male characters – all people the playwright had met.

Production History

• The play toured the world for almost 2 years solidly, including throughout the US, Australia and the UK. YOU CAN WATCH SOME BEHIND-THESCENES FOOTAGE HERE

Emigration from Nigeria Why did so many Nigerians move to the UK from the 1980s onwards?

DID YOU KNOW? Over 500 languages are spoken in Nigeria today. The 3 main ones are Hausa, Igbo and Yorùbá. Africa is home to onethird of the world’s languages. How many different languages are you aware of being spoken in the play? Are there any that you can speak?

Nigeria’s petroleum boom of the 1970s collapsed when oil prices plummeted in 1982, causing a lot of socio-economic hardship in the country. Asylum applications peaked in 1995, owing to the effects of the military dictatorship of Sani Abacha.

I’m still an African man. I’m not a Black British man. Inua Ellams

WHAT IS PIDGIN?

“Pidgin” is a language created between groups who don’t otherwise share a common language in order to communicate with each other. In this play, the pidgin used mostly is Nigerian Pidgin English.

DID YOU KNOW? Peckham, where the fictional Three Kings barber shop of the play is located, is now home to the largest overseas Nigerian community in the UK. As a result, it is sometimes nicknamed “Little Lagos”.

DID YOU KNOW? Much of the play is taken from verbatim accounts. “Verbatim theatre” is a form of documentary theatre in which the words of real people form the basis of the script.

Barber Shop Chronicles, National

CREATIVE CHALLENGE Imagine you’re the director or the designer of the original production of the play. How might staging it in-the-round affect how you approach it? Can you design a set for the play based on an in-the-round space?

1960s to describe the “Gentrification” was a term coined by sociologist Ruth Glass in the It is thought to phenomenon of wealthier people moving into a less well-off neighbourhood. the character of the place. increase property value, but also push poorer people out and change What have been the effects? Have you seen examples of gentrification in your neighbourhood?

Centre image: Barber Shop Chronicles, National Theatre 2017 © Photo by Marc Brenner. Available on Drama Online.

Theatre 2017.

Available in National Theatre Colle ction 2 on Drama Online.

Also by Inua Ellams:

Cape Inua Ellams Someone mugged Bruce’s mum and he is not having it. The shock is still visible in her trembling fingers, rippling out across the calm waters of their lives. He grabs his hoodie, his uniform, his cape and goes out to find the culprit. Smithy wants everyone to stay inside, Uhuru wants everyone out. Tanya thinks it’s boyish fun and games until, very suddenly, it isn’t. This play questions the boundaries between our right to self-defense and taking the law into our own hands. Told with five roles spanning from young people to adults, it deals with issues that young people face today.

Cape was originally commissioned by Synergy Theatre Project and premiered at London’s Unicorn Theatre in 2013. ISBN: 9781350204652 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Youth and Friendship www.bloomsbury.com/cape-9781350204652

Additional teaching resources: Video introduction to Cape by Inua Ellams Synergy Theatre Project Cape Education Resource Pack

14 | Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

Also by Inua Ellams: Antigone, Three Sisters

Playwrights A-F

The Death of a Black Man Alfred Fagon It’s 1973 and the West Indies have spectacularly beaten England at their own game, in their own backyard. Shakie, an 18-year-old super-savvy wheeler-dealer, is in his element – and not just because of the cricket. Life is good: his furniture business is making serious money and he owns a flat on the King’s Road, the epicentre of everything that’s cool. Moreover, his best friend Stumpie has come up with a plan to crack the booming music industry - the possibilities are endless so when Shakie’s ex-lover Jackie arrives at the Chelsea flat, the trio toast the future. The champagne is flowing and ambition is running sky high—but how far will they go, and who will they sacrifice, in their quest to be rich beyond their wildest dreams?

The Death of a Black Man was published and premiered at Hampstead Theatre in 1975. ISBN: 9781350270138 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Race, Society, Class, Gender, Politics, Identity Content Warnings: Drug and Alcohol Abuse; Swearing; Sexual References (references to rape and underage sex); Reference to Self Harm; Racist Language www.bloomsbury.com/death-of-a-black-man-9781350270138

603 Imad Farajin, translated by Hassan Abdulrazzak Four Palestinian men share a cramped prison cell listening to the buses come and go outside. Will the next bus be the one to take them home?

603 by Palestinian writer Imad Farajin was first performed in this English translation by Hassan Abdulrazzak as a rehearsed reading at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2008. It was developed as part of an ambitious project by the Royal Court Theatre’s International Department and the British Council, working with twenty-one writers from across the Near East and North Africa. It is also available in the collection Plays from the Arab World. ISBN: 9781780019567 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: Crime, Freedom, Justice Content Warnings: Drug and Alcohol Abuse; Sexual References; Swearing www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/603

Also by Imad Farajin: Chaos

Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour | 15

Playwrights G-K

The Whip Juliet Gilkes Romero As the 19th century dawns in London, politicians of all parties gather to abolish the slave trade once and for all. But the price of freedom turns out to be a multi-billion pound bailout for slave owners rather than those enslaved. As morality and cunning compete amongst men thirsty for power, two women navigate their way to the true seat of political influence, challenging members of parliament who dare deny them their say. In this provocative play by Juliet Gilkes Romero, the personal collides with the political to ask, what is the right thing to do and how much must it cost?

The Whip first premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Company as part of their Black History Month in 2020 and won the 2020 Alfred Fagon Award. ISBN: 9781350275478 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Corruption, History, Politics, Race, Relationships, Women, Slavery, Black British History Content Warnings: Violence; Swearing; Brief mention of self harm in prologue www.bloomsbury.com/whip-9781350275478

Additional teaching resources: Videos and blog posts available on the RSC website

Also by Juliet Gilkes Romero: At the Gates of Gaza, Upper Cut

Nine Night Natasha Gordon Gloria is gravely sick. When her time comes, the celebration begins; the traditional Jamaican Nine Night wake. But for Gloria’s children and grandchildren, marking her death with a party that lasts over a week is a test. Nine nights of music, food, sharing stories – and an endless parade of mourners. Natasha Gordon’s debut play, Nine Night, is a touching and funny exploration of the rituals of family. It premiered at the National Theatre, London, in April 2018, directed by Roy Alexander Weise. The production transferred to Trafalgar Studios in December 2018, making Gordon the first Black British woman to have a play staged in the West End.

Nine Night won Natasha Gordon the Most Promising Playwright Awards at the 2018 Evening Standard Theatre Awards and the 2018 Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards. ISBN: 9781848427303 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: Relationships, Death, Family, National Identity, Race Content Warnings: Mild Violence; Swearing; Alcohol Use www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/nine-night

16 | Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

Playwrights G-K

Set text: Pearson Edexcel GCSE English Literature and AQA GCSE Drama

The Empress Tanika Gupta Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, 1887. At East London’s Tilbury Docks, Rani Das and Abdul Karim step ashore after the long voyage from India. One has to battle a society who deems her a second-class citizen; the other forges an astonishing entanglement with the ageing Queen Victoria who finds herself enchanted by stories of an India over which she rules, but has never seen. Through narrative, music and song, The Empress blends the true story of Queen Victoria’s controversial relationship with her Indian servant and ‘Munshi’ (teacher), Abdul Karim, with the experiences of Indian ayahs who came to Britain during the 19th century. With private romance being mapped onto world history, the action cuts between the ship and different royal residences, offering bright contrasts as well as surprising affinities. In doing so, the play uncovers remarkable unknown stories of 19th-century Britain and charts the growth of Indian nationalism and the romantic proclivities of one of Britain’s most surprising monarchs.

The Empress, which premiered at Stratford-upon-Avon’s RSC in 2013 returns to the RSC in Stratford and the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in London in 2023. Additional teaching resources: In Conversation with Tanika Gupta Downloadable classroom poster

To book tickets, visit: www.rsc.org.uk/the-empress

ISBN: 9781350190573 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: History, Immigration, Race, Society, Women, Politics Content Warnings: Swearing; Sexual References www.bloomsbury.com/empress-9781350190573

Great Expectations Charles Dickens, adapted by Tanika Gupta Pip, a poor village boy, finds two chance meetings set his life on an unexpected course. At the water’s edge, he has a terrifying encounter with an escaped convict. In the decaying grandeur of Miss Haversham’s house, he falls hopelessly in love with the heartless Estella. When an anonymous benefactor helps him move to Calcutta, the heart of the British Raj, Pip pursues his great expectations and his dream of winning Estella’s heart. Relocating Pip’s extraordinary journey to 19th-century India, this comingof-age story, evoking some of Dickens’s most colourful characters, is faithful to the period of the book and the richness of Dickens’s language – a vivid theatrical retelling of a universally loved masterpiece. This play is a Royal Exchange Theatre and Tamasha coproduction staged for the first time at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester in September 2023. ISBN: 9781350448223 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Colonialism; Coming of Age Content Warnings: Mild Violence www.bloomsbury.com/great-expectations-9781350448223

Also by Tanika Gupta: A Doll’s House (set text on WJEC AS and A Level Drama and Theatre), Lions and Tigers

Additional teaching resources: Tamasha’s Great Expectations Learning Resource

Great Expectations By Tanika Gupta

Resource Pack

Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour | 17

Playwrights G-K

Eclipsed Danai Gurira It’s best to work with the system, and right now – the system is war. It’s 2003 and civil war is raging in Liberia. At a rebel army base four young women are doing their best to survive the conditions of the war. Yet sometimes, the greatest threat comes not from the enemy’s guns, but from the brutality of those on your own side. With the arrival of a new girl who can read, and an old one who can kill, how might this transform the future of this hard-bitten sisterhood?

Eclipsed premiered at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, DC in 2009. ISBN: 9781783198726 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Women, Race, War, Freedom Content Warnings: Violence; Sexual References; Swearing www.bloomsbury.com/eclipsed-9781783198726

Also by Danai Gurira: The Convert

(Set text on AQA AS and A Level Drama and Theatre)

The Mountaintop Katori Hall The night before his assassination, Martin Luther King retires to room 306 in the now-famous Lorraine Motel after giving an acclaimed speech to a massive church congregation. When a mysterious young maid visits him to deliver a cup of coffee, King is forced to confront his past and the future of his people. Portraying rhetoric, hope and ideals of social change, The Mountaintop also explores being human in the face of inevitable death. The play is a dramatic feat of daring originality, historical narration and triumphant compassion.

The Mountaintop premiered in London at the Theatre503 in 2009 and the production won the Olivier Best New Play Award. ISBN: 9781472587718 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: History, Society, Death, Love, Politics, Race, Religion Content Warnings: Sexual References; Swearing; Racist Language www.bloomsbury.com/mountaintop-9781472587718

Additional teaching resources: visitthemountaintop.co.uk hosts videos and resources to explore

18 | Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

A Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry In south side Chicago, Walter Lee, a Black chauffeur, dreams of a better life, and hopes to use his father’s life insurance money to open a liquor store. His mother, who rejects the liquor business, uses some of the money to secure a proper house for the family. Mr Lindner, a representative of the all-white neighbourhood, tries to buy them out. Walter sinks the rest of the money into his business scheme, only to have it stolen by one of his partners. In despair, Walter contacts Lindner and almost begs to buy them out, but with the help of his wife, Walter finally finds a way to assert his dignity. Deeply committed to the Black struggle for equality and human rights, Lorraine Hansberry’s brilliant career as a writer was cut short by her death when she was only 34.

A Raisin in the Sun premiered on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on March 11, 1959.

A Raisin in the Sun was the first play written by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway and won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award. Hansberry was the youngest and the first Black writer to receive this award. ISBN: 9781408140901 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Race, Society, Politics, Family Content Warnings: Mild Violence; Swearing; Racist Language www.bloomsbury.com/raisin-in-the-sun-9781408140901

Les Blancs

ert Nemiroff

Playwrights G-K

women, 1 boy or girl

, breadth of vision and masterly technique capable of in any one generation.”

ary spirit.” – The Evening Standard

ock...a blistering triumph.” – Radio Times

Lorraine Hansberry • Robert Nemiroff

ncs prophetically confronts the hope and setting is a white Christian mission in a s that hour of reckoning when no one the he consequences of white colonialism and embe Matoseh, the English educated son is father. He finds his teenage brother er a priest and traitor to his people. nly to return to his wife and child in e conflict symbolized by a woman dancer, ursues him.

Les Blancs by Lorraine Hansberry Final Text Adapted by Robert Nemiroff

Also by Lorraine Hansberry: Set text Pearson Edexcel AS and A Level English Literature

Les Blancs Lorraine Hansberry’s last play, Les Blancs, was published in 1972. Hansberry began writing it in 1960 and was still working on the final draft when she died in 1965. Her ex-husband, Robert Nemiroff, completed the play based on her drafts and it was first performed in 1970. The play depicts the lives and conflicts of the people living in an unnamed African mission compound around the end of colonialism in the late 19th century. ISBN: 9780573611513 Publisher: Concord Theatricals Themes: Violence and power, Conflict, Colonialism, Identity, Family and duty, Tradition and education Content Warnings: Mature Themes; Racist Terms www.concordtheatricals.co.uk/s/4967/les-blancs-the-whites

Additional teaching resources: Les Blancs National Theatre Learning Guide available on Drama Online

Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour | 19

Playwrights G-K

August in England Lenny Henry August Henderson, fifty-two years in England, a proud West Bromwich Albion fan, part-owner of a fruit and veg emporium, and a devoted dad. He’s got the gift of the gab, exaggerates his musical talents, has no head for paperwork and is about to marry the woman he loves. And then the Home Office threatens him with deportation. August won’t go quietly. Lenny Henry’s playwriting debut is a poignant, hilarious portrait of a life affected by the terrible injustice of the Windrush Scandal.

August in England opened at the Bush Theatre, London, in April 2023. ISBN: 9780571386437 Publisher: Faber Themes: Windrush; Race Content Warnings: Occasional Swearing; Racist Language; Sexual References www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571386437-august-in-england

Scrape off the Black Tunde Ikoli London’s East End 1973. Trevor organises a surprise party on the release of his brother Andy from Borstal. But Rose, his bingo-playing, pill-popping mother, has other plans.

Scrape off the Black examines mixed-race relationships and peoples’ attitudes to skin colour and tackles these relationships with both wit and gravitas. First published in 1981 and premiered at Theatre Royal Stratford East in 1998, this play by Tunde Ikoli offers readers and performers a peek into 70s London and frames racial politics through a story of this family. ISBN: 9781840020847 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Race; Family; Class and Society Content Warnings: Alcohol and Drug Use www.bloomsbury.com/scrape-off-the-black-9781840020847

Also by Tunde Ikoli: Short Sleeves in Summer, The Lower Depths, Smack and Thistle

20 | Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

Playwrights G-K

An Octoroon Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Judge Peyton is dead, and his plantation Terrebonne is in financial ruins. Peyton’s handsome nephew George arrives as their apparent, and quickly falls in love with Zoe, a beautiful ‘octoroon’. But the dastardly M’Closky has other plans – for both Terrebonne and Zoe. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s exhilarating play An Octoroon, draws on Dion Boucicault’s 1859 melodrama The Octoroon to explore issues about race and identity in America today. The play won an OBIE Award when it was first seen in New York in 2014, and had its European premiere at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, in 2017. It transferred to the National Theatre, London, in 2018.

An Octoroon won Branden Jacobs-Jenkins the Most Promising Playwright Award at the Evening Standard Awards in 2017. He was also named Most Promising Playwright at the Critics’ Circle Awards in 2018. ISBN: 9781848426412 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: Race; Identity, History, Love, Society Content Warnings: Racist Language www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/octoroon

Also by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins: Appropriate, Gloria

Cuttin’ It Charlene James Teenagers Muna and Iqra catch the same school bus. They were both born in Somalia, but their backgrounds are very different. What they share is a painful secret. Tracking the urgent issue of FGM in Britain, this devastating play reveals the price some girls pay to become women.

Cuttin’ It premiered at the Young Vic, London, in May 2016. Charlene James received the George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright and the Alfred Fagon Award for Best New Play. ISBN: 9780571329632 Publisher: Faber Themes: Cultural Difference, Gender, Growing Up, Women, Youth Content Warnings: Implied references to violence and sexual assault in flashbacks; Multiple references to female genital mutilation in flashbacks www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571329632-cuttin-it

Cu ttin ’

Te Resache by our rs’ with May ce PEduc Nat lene ack atio na iona Cat l l T ch he po atre le Le ar ning

Black Plays Archive | Cuttin’ It | Discussion / Essay Questions

Additional teaching resources: National Theatre Black Plays Archive Learning Guide

Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour | 21

Playwrights G-K

Scenes from 68* Years Hannah Khalil Scenes from 68* Years is a selection of intertwined vignettes telling the story of ordinary Palestinians at a very human level. Offering snapshots of the routine of life in the shadow of occupation, we look into an Israeli household with a rebellious pro-Palestinian teenager, join a tediously long queue at an Israeli check point, and get swept into an absurd act of civil disobedience by Palestinian civilians in a desperate attempt to get worldwide media attention.

Scenes from 68* Years was selected from 100 scripts by the Arcola Theatre and the play received its world premiere at the Arcola Theatre on 5 April 2016 in a production by Sandpit Arts. The play was nominated for the prestigious James Tait Black Award. ISBN: 9781474298162 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Society, Family, Love, Protest, Colonialism Content Warnings: Swearing; Sexual References www.bloomsbury.com/scenes-from-68-years-9781474298162

Also by Hannah Khalil: The Fir Tree, A Museum in Baghdad, Hakawatis Hannah Khalil is the first woman of Arab heritage to have a main stage play performed at the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Set text: Pearson Edexcel AS and A Level English Literature and Language

Elmina’s Kitchen Kwame Kwei-Armah Deli is trying to revive the fortunes of his mother’s restaurant in Murder Mile, Hackney. But where does his son disappear to on the night of the re-opening? And why does his friend Digger offer him protection? Elmina’s Kitchen is a thrilling, engaging portrait of a oneparent family struggling to stay within the law while the Yardies are carving up the neighbourhood.

Elmina’s Kitchen premiered at the Royal National Theatre, London, in May 2003 and was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play 2003. ISBN: 9780413773630 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Relationships, Family, Race, Knife Crime, Racism Content Warnings: Swearing; Racist Language; Violence www.bloomsbury.com/elminas-kitchen-9780413773630

22 | Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

Playwrights L-P

Does My Bomb Look Big in This? Nyla Levy Yasmin Sheikh feels torn in the city she used to call home, but Aisha sees a different London to her best friend. When Yasmin suddenly disappears to Syria, Aisha embarks on a mission to uncover the truth and decide whether there is any hope in Yasmin’s new-found world. First conceived in 2016 after being cast in roles as a ‘jihadi bride’ or ‘terrorist girlfriend’ and generally dissatisfied with the narrative being told, Nyla Levy ran research workshops with school children and interviewed Muslim community leaders as well as terrorism defence solicitor Tasnime Akunjee. The result voices the complexities of the choices made by disaffected youth, their vulnerability, and how the decisions made can change lives, communities and countries forever. With fierce wit and disarming honesty, this play cleverly unveils a human story behind the headlines and questions how close or far we are from multicultural harmony.

Does My Bomb Look Big in This? was first published in 2019 to coincide with its premiere at Tara Arts and Soho Theatre, London, produced by Tamasha. ISBN: 9781350134607 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Youth, Race, Friendship, Terrorism, Corruption Content Warnings: Swearing; Racist Language; Alcohol Use; Mild Violence; Sexual References www.bloomsbury.com/does-my-bomb-look-big-inthis-9781350134607

asha. Does My Bomb Look Big in This? Tam

DOES MY BOMB LOOK BIG IN THIS?

Discussion points for use in the classroom Does My Bomb Look Big In This? from Nyla Levy, part of the Methuen Drama’s Modern Plays series was first conceived in 2016 after Nyla Levy was being cast in roles as a ‘jihadi bride’ or ‘terrorist girlfriend’ and generally dissatisfied with the narrative being told. She ran research workshops with school children and interviewed muslim community leaders as well as terrorism defence solicitor Tasnime Akunjee. The result voices the complexities of the choices made by disaffected youth, their vulnerability, and how the decisions made can change lives, communities and countries forever. Read more about the play here Nyla Levy is an Actor and Playwright. Being mixed race, Pakistani and Canadian, with Muslim and Jewish heritage, and born and bred in London – Nyla has always gravitated towards stories that explore experiences related to identity, culture and race. Nyla received funding from Arts Council England to develop her first fictional play, Does My Bomb Look Big in This? which was performed at The Bush, JW3, Hat Factory & Rich Mix in 2018. Tamasha and Arts Council England are currently co-producing with Nyla, a UK tour of Does My Bomb Look Big in This? which she is also starring in.

Additional teaching resources:

The Power Of Persuasion - Teachers’ pack Introduction The Power Of Persuasion is a package of PHSE resources for secondary schools produced by touring theatre company Tamasha, in collaboration with Bloomsbury and sponsored by Amal. It uses the world and characters from Tamasha’s hit 2019 production Does My Bomb Look Big In This? by Nyla Levy to explore the subject of internet safety. Four 90-minute workshops will guide students through a series of practical drama exercises, presented as audio files by actors in role. Each workshop focuses on a different type of grooming, and seeks to highlight the persuasive tactics being used, in order to help participants recognise and resist these, should they ever come across them in real life. The workshops can be used as a Year 9 Scheme of Learning in Drama. Likewise, student writing and scenarios created could also provide a stimulus for assessed devised performance in GCSE or A-level Drama. Content The Power Of Persuasion is made up of six parts:

• Discussion points to use in the classroom from Nyla Levy

Discussion points to use in the classroom from Nyla Levy THEME AND STORY QUESTIONS 1. What do you think the play is about? 2. Whose story is it?

• Power of Persuasion is a package of PHSE resources for secondary schools which uses the world and characters from Does My Bomb Look Big In This? to explore the subject of internet safety. Available on Drama Online.

3. Can you identify the trigger points/ factors that led to Yasmin’s decision? 4. Would you say Yasmin was isolated? If so, how? 5. Would you say Yasmin was vulnerable? If so, how? 6. What can be done to help people like Yasmin?

1. Full production - Audio recording of the full production of Does My Bomb Look Big In This? (100 mins - also available in two halves for splitting across sessions). A listening sheet is included, with comprehension questions to tee up Workshop 1. 2. Workshop 1 - Yasmin’s story - 3 x 5-min ‘in character’ audio clips and a printable paper timeline exploring turning points in the play, where Yasmin’s friends could have intervened to stop the eventual outcome - Yasmin absconding to Syria. (Intended to be used in one 90-min workshop) 3. Workshop 2.1 - Aisha’s story (part 1) - 2 x 3-min ‘in character’ audio clips and some mocked up printable chat transcripts introducing a new storyline about online grooming for

7. Could anything have been done differently at each point, to deter Yasmin from going? Who could have helped? sexual exploitation. (Intended to be used in one 90-min workshop, as part 1 of 2). 8. If you were Aisha, is there anything you would have done differently?

4. Workshop 2.2 - Aisha’s story (part 2) - 3 x 3-min ‘in character’ audio clips and drama

9. If you were Yasmin, is there anything you would have done differently? You can use specific scenes from the play and exercises telling the second half of Aisha’s story, and how things turned out. (Intended to be improvise the different choices you would make. ACTING QUESTIONS

used in one 90-min workshop, as part 2 of 2).

Workshop 10. There are 3 cast members in this play, what acting techniques can be used to make sure each actor5.playing different 3 - Morgan’s story - 5 x 3-min ‘in character’ audio clips and some mocked up printable chat transcripts introducing a new storyline about online grooming by a criminal characters are as defined from one another as possible? gang for fraud purposes. (intended to be used in one 90-min workshop)

11. As some of the actors play the same characters, what exercises would the actors do to ensure they played certain characters similarly. For example, both Actor 1 and Actor 2 play Yasmin's brother, Saad - what techniques would they use to make sure the audience knows they are both playing Saad. Think about physicality, voice, tone and accent, facial expressions etc.. Volunteers can try this out in pairs, with any of the characters from the play.

Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour | 23

Playwrights L-P

The Long Song Andrea Levy, adapted by Suhayla El-Bushra The Long Song is the story of a young slave girl who lives through the final turbulent days of slavery on a sugar plantation in nineteenthcentury Jamaica. It is adapted from Andrea Levy’s award-winning novel by Suhayla El-Bushra. It premiered at Chichester Festival Theatre in October 2021. ISBN: 9781839040191 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: History, Race, Racism, Suffering, Women Content Warnings: Swearing; Racist Language; Reference to Suicide www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/long-song

A History of Water in the Middle East Sabrina Mahfouz British-Egyptian Sabrina Mahfouz grew up with ambitions of being a spy. She has two passports, speaks two languages and has a cultural understanding of two very different countries. But when it came to applying for MI6, it turned out she wasn’t quite British enough. So now she’s on her own intelligence mission – to explore who really holds the power in and over the Middle East. In a world long obsessed with access to oil, will water soon become the natural resource that dictates control, or has it been all along? This play journeys across twelve different countries using theatre, poetry and music to share stories of women across the region. From the British Imperialist ownership of natural resources, to the environmental urgency of the present, water has shaped lives, policies and fortunes – and it will shape all of our futures. This play was published to coincide with its premiere at the Royal Court in October 2019. ISBN: 9781350156845 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: National Identity, Politics, Religion, Legacy of Colonialism Content Warnings: Swearing; Sexual References; Violence in War www.bloomsbury.com/history-of-water-in-the-middle-east-9781350156845

24 | Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

Also by Sabrina Mahfouz:

Layla’s Room, Offside, Noughts and Crosses

Playwrights L-P

The Moors Tonderai Munyevu Two men arrive in London looking for Shakespeare. They say they are from Balaika, Africa. They have passed through fire to be here and are determined for the great man to hear their stories. Alas, Shakespeare is dead! However, his theatre still stands. Soon they find themselves swept up and placed on stage in front of an expectant audience. Fame, fortune and love awaits ... But can they survive the increasingly hostile environment? In triumphantly energetic Southern African style, two actors play men, women and immigration police to portray this funny yet moving story of love, friendship and ambition.

The Moors first premiered at Tara Theatre, London in November 2018, and its first edition was published by Methuen Drama in 2020. Published in Methuen Drama’s Plays For Young People series, this edition features resources for teachers and students, including an introduction by Sonia Massai, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Kings College London, and a contextual response to the play in production by the author. ISBN: 9781350204607 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Shakespeare, Identity, Immigration, Race Content Warnings: Swearing; Sexual References; Alcohol Use www.bloomsbury.com/moors-9781350204607

Also by Tonderai Munyevu: Mugabe, My Dad and Me

Additional teaching resources: Tonderai Munyevu introduces The Moors

Acceptance Amy Ng Out of 37,451 applicants to Eliot University, Angela stands out – but not for the right reasons. An ambiguous event in her past threatens to overshadow her talent, her potential and her future prospects. Can she overcome the prejudices of those judging her application, or is she already tainted beyond redemption? Crackling with razor-sharp dialogue, Amy Ng’s play Acceptance asks whether we can ever escape our past, and investigates the destructive side of our search for acceptance. It premiered at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, London, in 2018. ISBN: 9781848427365 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: Prejudice, Belonging, Gender, Race Content Warnings: Reference of Rape www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/acceptance

Acceptance is also available in Methuen Drama’s Anthology, Beyond The Canon’s Plays for Young Activists, with accompanying online resources including videos and learning guides.

Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour | 25

Playwrights L-P

Set text: Pearson Edexcel AS and A Level English Literature

Sweat Lynn Nottage In one of the poorest cities in America – Reading, Pennsylvania – a group of factory workers struggle to keep their present lives in balance, ignorant of the financial devastation looming in their near future. Based on the playwright’s extensive interviews with residents of Reading, Lynn Nottage’s play Sweat is a tale of friends pitted against each other by big business, and a topical reflection of the present and poignant decline of the American Dream. The play premiered in Oregon in 2015, before being produced at the Public Theater, New York, in 2016, and the following year on Broadway, where it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It received its UK premiere at the Donmar Warehouse, London, in 2018, directed by Lynette Linton, and went on to win Best Play at the 2019 Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

Also by Lynn Nottage:

Ruined, Intimate Apparel, Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Mlima’s Tale, Clyde’s

ISBN: 9781848428188 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: Identity, Race, Society, American Dream, Relationships Content Warnings: Swearing; Sexual References; Violence in War www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/sweat

GCE English Literature Component 1: Drama

Additional teaching resources: Pearson Edexcel Sweat Teaching Guide

Sweat, Lynn Nottage An Introductory Guide

The Darkest Part of the Night Zodwa Nyoni As siblings Shirley and Dwight bury their mother, they remember their upbringing in 1980s Chapeltown Leeds differently. In the height of racial discrimination, police brutality and poverty, the struggle for survival ripped through their family. Now as adults, they need to bring together the fractured pieces of their past in order to move forward. Zodwa Nyoni’s gripping and heartfelt drama explores the complexities and beauty of what it really means to care for one another. This play was published to coincide with the world premiere at London’s Kiln Theatre in July 2022. ISBN: 9781350341777 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Death, Disability, Family, Growing Up, Identity, Racism, Society Content Warnings: Swearing; Mild Violence www.bloomsbury.com/darkest-part-of-the-night-9781350341777

26 | Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

Playwrights L-P Set text: AQA GCSE English Literature

Princess & The Hustler Chinonyerem Odimba Meet Princess. A cheeky ten-year-old, with a plan to win the Westonsuper-Mare Beauty Contest. Trouble is, her mum is busy working several jobs, her brother, a budding photographer, won’t even take her picture and then – The Hustler returns. In 1963 Bristol, as Black British Civil Rights campaigners walk onto the streets, Princess finds out what it really means to be Black and beautiful. Chinonyerem Odimba’s play Princess & The Hustler was first seen at the Bristol Old Vic in February 2019, followed by a UK tour, in a co-production between Eclipse Theatre Company, Bristol Old Vic and Hull Truck Theatre, directed by Dawn Walton. The play was shortlisted for the Alfred Fagon Best New Play Award 2018. ISBN: 9781848428270 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: Race, Family, Society, Politics Content Warnings: Reference to Rape www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/princess-and-the-hustler

Also by Chinonyerem Odimba: Black Love, Unknown Rivers

Additional teacher resources available: • Chinonyerem Odimba’s Princess & The Hustler: GCSE Study Guide from Nick Hern Books • AQA Author Q&A with Chinonyerem Odimba

Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) Suzan-Lori Parks An epic dramatic trilogy set during the American Civil War, by one of America’s leading playwrights. America, 1862, during the Civil War. Hero, a slave, is promised his freedom if he joins his master in the ranks of the Confederacy against the Union. In a nation at war with itself, he must fight against those striving to abolish slavery. The family he leaves behind debates whether to escape or await his return, and they fear that, for Hero, freedom is an empty promise that may come at a great cost. Suzan-Lori Parks’s Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) received its UK premiere in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2016, directed by Jo Bonney. The trilogy premiered at The Public Theater, New York, in 2014, was a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and won the Edward M Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History. ISBN: 9781848425507 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: History, Politics, Race, War, Love and Relationships Content Warnings: Reference to Rape www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/fathercomeshome

Also by Suzan-Lori Parks:

Topdog/Underdog, White Noise

Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour | 27

Playwrights L-P Set text: AQA GCSE English Literature, Eduqas GCSE English Literature, OCR GCSE English Literature and WJEC Drama and Theatre AS and A Level

Leave Taking Winsome Pinnock In North London, Del and Viv are soul-sick. Del doesn’t want to be at home; staying out late – 3 p.m.-the-next-day late – is more her thing. Viv scours her schoolbooks trying to find a trace of herself between their lines. When Enid takes her daughters to the local obeah woman for some traditional Caribbean soul-healing, secrets are spilled. There’s no turning back for Del, Viv and Enid as they negotiate the frictions between their countries and cultures. Two generations. Three incredible women. Winsome Pinnock’s play Leave Taking is an epic story of what we leave behind in order to find home. It premiered in 1987, and was revived at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2018, in a production directed by the Bush’s then Artistic Director, Madani Younis. ISBN: 9781848427402 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: Family, National Identity, Women, Inter generational conflict in the Black British community, Immigration Content Warnings: Alcohol Use; Swearing www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/leave-taking

Additional teaching resources available: • Winsome Pinnock’s Leave Taking: GCSE Study Guide from Nick Hern Books • Q&A with Winsome Pinnock from AQA • Eduqas teaching resources

Also by Winsome Pinnock

Rockets and Blue Lights Moving between London past and present, Winsome Pinnock’s astonishing play retells British history through the prism of the slave trade. Fusing fact with fiction, and the powerfully personal with the fiercely political, Rockets and Blue Lights asks who owns our past – and who has the right to tell its stories. ISBN: 9781839040252 Publisher: Nick Hern Books www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/rockets-and-blue-lights Rockets and Blue Lights − Learning Guide About This Guide ...............................................................1

See also by Winsome Pinnock: One Under, Water,

Background Information ..................................................2 Teaching Information ........................................................3 Production Notes Contextual Information .............................................4 Key Design Elements ................................................5 Performance Style ...................................................12 Key Moments ...........................................................12 Plot Synopsis with Timecodes .......................................14 Find Out More ..................................................................23

Mules, Talking in Tongues, A Hero’s Welcome

Additional teaching resources: National Theatre Collection: Rocket and Blue Lights Learning Guide

About Winsome Pinnock British Playwright Winsome Pinnock was born in Islington, North London, and is of Jamaican heritage. She is an award-winning playwright and dramaturg. Her work has been produced on the British stage and internationally since 1985. She was the first Black British female writer to have a play produced by the Royal National Theatre.

28 | Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

Playwrights L-P

Pronoun Evan Placey A love story about transition, testosterone, and James Dean. Josh and Isabella are childhood sweethearts. They were meant to spend their gap year together, they were meant to be together forever. But Isabella has now become a boy. Evan Placey’s play Pronoun was commissioned as part of the 2014 National Theatre Connections Festival and premiered by youth theatres across the UK. Especially written for young actors, the play can be performed by a cast of seven, with some doubling of roles, or a much larger cast. ISBN: 9781848423916 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: Gender and Sexuality; LGBTQ+; Love and Relationships Content Warnings: Alcohol Use; Swearing; Mention of Self-harm www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/pronoun

Nightwatchman Prasanna Puwanarajah A British Sri Lankan cricketer prepares for the innings of her life for England against Sri Lanka at Lord’s. Facing a relentless bowling machine she challenges our preconceptions of politics, sport and national pride as harshly as she challenges her own. Prasanna Puwanarajah’s short play Nightwatchman was first performed in a double bill with Tom Basden’s There is a War as part of the National Theatre’s Double Feature season of paired short plays at the Paintframe, a specially converted space at the National Theatre, London, in July 2011. ISBN: 9781780015484 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: Immigration, Politics, National Pride, Identity Content Warnings: Alcohol Use; Swearing; Mention of Self-harm www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/nightwatchman

Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour | 29

Playwrights Q-W

The Funeral Director Iman Qureshi Life as the director of a Muslim funeral parlour isn’t always easy, but Ayesha has things pretty sorted. She and Zeyd share everything: a marriage, a business, a future. Until Tom walks in to organise his boyfriend’s funeral. A snap moral decision, informed by the values of Ayesha’s community and faith, has profound consequences. Forced to confront a secret she has hidden even from herself, Ayesha must decide who she is – no matter the cost. This play is an incisive and heartfelt story of sexuality, gender and religion in 21st century Britain. It won the 2018 Papatango New Writing Prize and premiered at Southwark Playhouse, London, in October 2018. ISBN: 9781848427969 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: Cultural Difference, Death, Family, Religion, LGBTQ+ Content Warnings: Swearing; Sexual References; Reference of Suicide www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/the-funeral-director

Favour Ambreen Razia Leila is happy living at home with Noor, her loving but traditional grandmother. But when Aleena, her fiercely independent mother, returns home from prison determined to deliver a new world of fun and excitement, their calm lives are upended in a blur of nail varnish and sweet treats. Family secrets come tumbling into the light, and Leila finds the task of deciding on her future more difficult than she first thought. This play is a touching and hopeful family drama about a working-class Muslim family, tackling duty, addiction and the challenge of pulling yourself back together after it all falls apart. It was a Bush Theatre and Clean Break co-production and premiered at the Bush, London, in 2022, directed by Róisín McBrinn and Sophie Dillon Moniram. ISBN: 9781839040917 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: Class, Duty, Family, Relationships, Religion, Youth Content Warnings: Swearing; Alcohol and Drug Use www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/favour

30 | Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

Playwrights Q-W

Haroun and the Sea of Stories Salman Rushdie, adapted for the stage by Tim Supple and David Tushingham Tim Supple’s adaptations of Grimm Tales and More Grimm Tales have been universally acclaimed. With the help of David Tushingham, he has adapted Salman Rushdie’s classic children’s novel, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, for the stage. Set in a landscape populated by magicians and fantastic talking animals, Rushdie’s novel inhabits the same imaginative space as Gulliver’s Travels, Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. Haroun sets out on an adventure to restore the poisoned source of the sea of stories. On the way he encounters many foes, intent on draining the sea of all its storytelling powers. ISBN: 9780571196937 Publisher: Faber Themes: Power and Censorship, Idiocy of War, Control and Freedom Content Warnings: Swearing; Alcohol and Drug Use www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571196937-haroun-and-the-sea-of-stories

Fairview Jackie Sibblies Drury Grandma’s birthday approaches. Beverly is organising the perfect dinner, but everything seems doomed from the start: the silverware is all wrong, the carrots need chopping, and the radio is on the fritz. What at first appears to be a family comedy takes a sharp, sly turn into a startling examination of deep-seated paradigms about race in America. This play was first published in 2018 and premiered at New York City’s Soho Repertory Theatre in the same year. Winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. ISBN: 9781350267619 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Race, Family, Power, Society Content Warnings: Swearing; Racist Language www.bloomsbury.com/fairview-9781350267619

Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour | 31

Playwrights Q-W

Set text: Pearson Edexcel GCSE English Literature and Eduqas GCSE Drama

Refugee Boy Benjamin Zephaniah, adapted for the stage by Lemn Sissay As a violent civil war rages back home, teenager Alem and his father are in a B&B in Berkshire. It’s his best holiday ever. The next morning his father is gone and has left a note explaining that he and his mother want to protect Alem from the war. This strange grey country of England is now his home. On his own, and in the hands of the social services and the Refugee Council, he lives from letter to letter, waiting to hear something from his father. Then Alem meets car-obsessed Mustapha, the lovely ‘out of your league’ Ruth and dangerous Sweeney – three unexpected allies who spur him on as Alem fights to be seen as more than just the Refugee Boy.

Refugee Boy is an urgent story of a courageous African boy sent to England to escape the violent civil war, a story about arriving, belonging and finding ‘home’. The play was first published in 2001 and premiered at the West Yorkshire Playhouse (now Leeds Playhouse) in March 2013.

ISBN: 9781350171916 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Immigration; Identity, Belonging; War, Youth Content Warnings: Swearing; Violence www.bloomsbury.com/refugee-boy-9781350171916

Kelo), Refugee Boy. Fisayo Akinade (Alem el Caffrey (Ruth). Rach & ha) Dwayne Scantlebury (Mustap © Photo by Keith Pattison

Additional teacher resources: GCSE Drama Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah Adapted for stage by Lemn Sissay

32 | Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

• In Conversation with Benjamin Zephaniah • Pearson Edexcel Refugee Boy teaching resources

Playwrights Q-W

Leopoldstadt Tom Stoppard At the beginning of the twentieth century, Leopoldstadt was the old, crowded Jewish quarter of Vienna. But Hermann Merz, a manufacturer and baptised Jew married to Catholic Gretl, has moved up in the world. Gathered in the Merz apartment in a fashionable part of the city, Hermann’s extended family are at the heart of Tom Stoppard’s epic yet intimate drama. By the time we have taken leave of them, Austria has passed through the convulsions of war, revolution, impoverishment, annexation by Nazi Germany and – for Austrian Jews – the Holocaust in which 65,000 of them were murdered. It is for the survivors to pass on a story which hasn’t ended yet.

Leopoldstadt was first performed at Wyndham’s Theatre, London, in January 2020. It won the Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2020, and the Tony Award for Best Play in 2023. ISBN: 9780571359059 Publisher: Faber Themes: Jewish History; Holocaust; War; Revolution Content Warnings: Alcohol Use; Sexual Reference; Violence www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571359059-leopoldstadt

The Meaning of Zong Giles Terera Over two hundred years ago, Olaudah Equiano changed the world. After reading reports of the British ship Zong, where 132 enslaved Africans were thrown overboard, he joins forces with anti-slavery campaigner Granville Sharp and together they set in motion events which will go on to galvanise the abolition movement. But Olaudah’s impassioned fight for justice goes beyond the courtroom. Having bought his own freedom, he now faces a personal battle to rediscover his past and accept his true self. Weaving together the many lives affected by these events across the globe, The Meaning of Zong is both a depiction of a shameful true story from British history, and a timely response to the social upheaval the world has witnessed in recent years – celebrating the power of individual action to drive huge societal change. It was first performed on stage at Bristol Old Vic in April 2022, after an acclaimed production on BBC Radio 3. ISBN: 9781839040290 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: Class, History, Politics, Race, Racism, Society, Violence Content Warnings: Swearing www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/meaning-of-zong

Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour | 33

Playwrights Q-W

salt. Selina Thompson In 2016, two artists embarked a cargo ship and retraced a route of the Transatlantic Slave Triangle – Europe, Africa, the Caribbean – all the while contemplating the notion of home. Both real and imagined, it was a journey to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, propelled by questions and grief; a journey backwards in order to go forwards, a diaspora. This play is what they brought back.

salt. premiered at the Southbank Centre, London, in July 2017, and went on to tour in the UK, Australia, Canada and Brazil. ISBN: 9780571352265 Publisher: Faber Themes: History, Colonialism, Identity Content Warnings: Swearing; Racist Language www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571352265-salt

truth and reconciliation debbie tucker green Rwanda to Northern Ireland, Zimbabwe to Bosnia, answers are demanded, reconciliation hard to hear and the truth reluctant to be told. debbie tucker green’s play truth and reconciliation was first performed at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, London, in September 2011. ISBN: 9781848421721 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: National Identity, Violence, Colonialism, Racism, Prejudice Content Warnings: Swearing; Violence www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/truth-and-reconciliation

Also by debbie tucker green:

ear for eye, born bad, dirty butterfly, hang, random, stoning mary

34 | Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

Playwrights Q-W

Set text: AQA GCSE Drama

The Great Wave Francis Turnly On a Japanese beach, teenage sisters Hanako and Reiko are caught up in a storm. Reiko survives while Hanako is lost to the sea. Their mother, however, can’t shake the feeling her missing daughter is still alive, and soon their family tragedy takes on a global, political dimension. The play was first published in 2018 and premiered at National Theatre as Tricycle Theatre’s first co-production in the same year. ISBN: 9781350076266 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: History, Cultural Difference, National identity, Power, War, Women Content Warnings: Swearing www.bloomsbury.com/great-wave-9781350076259

Additional teacher resources: • Discussion Guide: Japan in Asia • Discussion Guide: How Korea Became a Divided Nation • Discussion Guide: Missing People

Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads Roy Williams Roy Williams’s fierce and excoriating portrait of British racism is set in a south-west London pub, during the 2000 England vs. Germany match. As England lose again, their supporters in The King George lose it too – at full time, patriotism has become unapologetic racism. Fuelling the xenophobic tensions is the blind venom of Lawrie, captain of the pub team; the articulate propaganda of Alan, active member of an anti-immigration party; and the hatred of Glen, the landlady’s son, bullied and confused. The dialogue snaps with alarming authenticity in Williams’s challenging play about what it means to be British, and how people define it – whether it is a bulldog tattoo, or violence against those who don’t fit in.

Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads first published in 2002 and premiered at the National Theatre in the same year. ISBN: 9781350249318 Publisher: Methuen Drama Themes: Identity, National Identity, Race, Racism, Football, Pub Culture, Toxic Masculinity, Violence Content Warnings: Swearing; Racist Language; Violence; Sexual References www.bloomsbury.com/sing-yer-heart-out-for-the-lads-9781350249318

Also by Roy Williams: Antigone, Death of

England, Fallout, Sucker Punch, Unexpected Twist

Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour | 35

Playwrights Q-W

Red Pitch Tyrell Williams Red Pitch. South London. Three lifelong friends Omz, Bilal and Joey are playing football. Like they always have. Living out dreams of football stardom. Beyond their football pitch, local shops are closing, old flats are being demolished as new flats shoot up, some residents struggle to stay while others rush to leave. When your local football pitch has been a home from home, a place where you’ve laughed, fought and forged friendships, what happens when it’s under threat? A coming-of-age story about what it means to belong somewhere, Tyrell Williams’s fast-paced and sharp-edged play tells a powerful story about gentrification, regeneration and the impact of this relentless change on London’s communities.

Red Pitch was first performed at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2022, and was revived there in 2023. It won numerous awards including Best New Play at the Off West End Awards. ISBN: 9781839040610 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: Class, Growing Up, Poverty, Society, Youth Content Warnings: Swearing; Alcohol Use www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/red-pitch

Jitney August Wilson Jim Becker and his unlicensed drivers take the people of Pittsburgh Hill District where regular taxi cabs won’t – healing old wounds and tearing new ones as they pass the time in a condemned taxi rank between pick-ups. August Wilson’s groundbreaking modern classic explores the fragile bond between eight men as they live, love and work in a racially segregated, post-Vietnam America.

Jitney received its British premiere at the National Theatre, London, in 2001, when it won the Olivier Award for Best New Play. A new edition was published alongside the 2021–22 revival by The Old Vic, Headlong and Leeds Playhouse, directed by Tinuke Craig. ISBN: 9781839040955 Publisher: Nick Hern Books Themes: American Dream, Race, Addiction, Family and Relationships, Money Content Warnings: Alcohol Use www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/jitney

36 | Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

Index by Themes Love, Family and Relationships

Immigration and Belonging

I Wanna Be Yours................................................................................... 7

The P Word............................................................................................... 9

Hymn........................................................................................................... 11

Child of the Divide................................................................................ 9

Blues for an Alabama Sky................................................................. 12

NW Trilogy.............................................................................................. 10

Nine Night............................................................................................... 16

August in England.............................................................................. 20

Elmina’s Kitchen.................................................................................. 22

The Moors............................................................................................... 24

Favour........................................................................................................ 30

Acceptance.............................................................................................. 26

Pronoun................................................................................................... 29

Refugee Boy............................................................................................32

Fairview..................................................................................................... 31

Salt.............................................................................................................. 34

Politics and Activism

Youth and Growing Up

Half-Empty Glasses................................................................................ 8

For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy.................................................... 10

The Father and the Assassin........................................................... 12 The Whip.................................................................................................. 16 Scenes from 68* Years...................................................................... 22 A History of Water in the Middle East......................................25 Nightwatchman.................................................................................... 29 The Great Wave....................................................................................35 603*............................................................................................................. 15 Eclipsed...................................................................................................... 18

Chewing Gum Dreams...................................................................... 13 Cape............................................................................................................ 14 Cuttin’ It.................................................................................................... 21 Does My Bomb Look Big In This?...............................................23 The Darkest Part of the Night...................................................... 26 Princess & The Hustler.....................................................................27 Red Pitch.................................................................................................. 36

Does My Bomb Look Big In This? Tamasha. * Text in translation

Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour | 37

Identity and Culture

History

Gone Too Far!.......................................................................................... 6

The Empress........................................................................................... 17

The Free9................................................................................................... 11

The Mountaintop................................................................................. 18

Barber Shop Chronicles.................................................................... 14

Les Blancs................................................................................................. 19

Leave Taking.......................................................................................... 28

An Octoroon........................................................................................... 21

The Funeral Director........................................................................ 30

The Long Song..................................................................................... 24

truth and reconciliation................................................................... 34

Rockets and Blue Lights................................................................... 28

Sing Yer Heart Out For The Lads................................................35

Leopoldstadt...........................................................................................33 The Meaning of Zong........................................................................33 Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 &3)..........27

Adaptations Great Expectations.............................................................................. 17 The Long Song..................................................................................... 24 Haroun and the Sea of Stories...................................................... 31 Refugee Boy............................................................................................32

Barber Shop Chronicles, National Theatre 2017. (Photo by Marc Brenner) Available in National Theatre Collection 2 on Drama Online.

Class and Society The Christ of Coldharbour Lane................................................... 7 Death of a Black Man......................................................................... 15 A Raisin in the Sun.............................................................................. 19 Scrape off the Black........................................................................... 20 Sweat...........................................................................................................25 Jitney.......................................................................................................... 36

38 | Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour

DRAMA

ONLINE

Would you like to read Chewing Gum Dreams and watch a filmed production of the play in the same online space? How about Barber Shop Chronicles, or Rockets and Blue Lights?

EXPLORE: • Over 4,000 plays • 450 audio plays

• Over 750 hours of video • Over 500 scholarly books

Image: Barber Shop Chronicles, 2017, National Theatre Collection 2, Drama Online

Learn more at www.dramaonlinelibrary.com

dramaonlinelib

Listen. Read. Discover The Black Plays Archive is an online catalogue of the first professional production in the UK of plays written by Black British, African and Caribbean playwrights. Users can search for productions, read essays from prominent Black British writers and academics, listen to audio extracts of plays, watch interviews with playwrights and browse our resources for teachers

blackplaysarchive.org.uk

Schools can request a free trial by emailing info@jcsonlineresources.org

Visit bloomsbury.com/LitinColour | 39

bloomsbury.com/LitinColour