BLACK BRITISH THEATRE SYMPOSIUM

A one-day symposium on Black British Theatre featuring a Q+A with playwright Winsome Pinnock

Join BADA for a special one-day exploration of Black British Theatre led by Course Director Oladipo Agboluaje.

This event will run from 11:00 AM EDT (4:00 PM BST) until 4:00 PM EDT (9:00 PM BST). The event features several sessions with breaks in between:

Overview of BADA’s Black British Theatre course
Introduction to Female Black British Writers
Discussion of Rockets and Blue Lights and Q&A with playwright Winsome Pinnock

You’ll receive an email with instructions for how to access the NT at Home recording of Rockets and Blue Lights by Winsome Pinnock.

As the play will be the focus of the discussion session and the Q+A with Winsome, you will need to watch the play in its entirety before June 9th to prepare for the discussion of the play.

Please note: once you begin to watch the recording, you have 3 days in which to watch the play.

On the set of a new film about Victorian artist JMW Turner, young actress Lou is haunted by an unresolved history. Meanwhile, in 1840 Londoners Lucy and Thomas try to come to terms with the meaning of freedom.

Moving between London past and present, we embark on a powerfully personal voyage through time.

Directed by Miranda Cromwell, and first staged at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, this astonishing and fiercely political play by Winsome Pinnock was named winner of the 2018 Alfred Fagon Award.

Winsome Pinnock

Winsome Pinnock is a recipient of the 2022 Windham-Campbell Prize.

Winsome Pinnock was born in Islington, North London. 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.

Winsome was Associate Professor in Drama at Kingston University from 2005 to 2019, and was Senior Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University. She has worked as a dramaturg with the Royal National Theatre’s New Views scheme as well as with the Royal Court’s International Department. The prizes awarded to her work include the George Devine Award, The Pearson Plays on Stage Award and the Unity Theatre Trust Award.

Oladipo Agboluaje (Course Director)

Oladipo Agboluaje is the author of several plays including, Early Morning, The Christ of Coldharbour Lane, The Estate, Iyale – The First Wife, New Nigerians, Immune, The Hounding of David Oluwale and Here’s What She Said To Me. Awards include the Alfred Fagon Award, The Pearson Award, the Peggy Ramsey Award and an International Research Centre Fellowship, Berlin. He is a fellow of the Royal Literary Fund and Treasurer of the African Theatre Association (AfTA). Oladipo has been writer in residence at The New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich and the National Theatre. He is a member of The Fence, an international group of directors, dramaturgs and playwrights. Oladipo has taught African Theatre, Post-Colonial Theatre, Black British Playwriting and Creative Writing at Goldsmiths University of London, City University and University of Greenwich.