In this session Natasha Bonnelame discusses the way playwrights of the African Diaspora have re-read and re-written European plays. This literary rebellion changes the focus and meaning of the plays, challenging Western assumptions. Acts of re-writing are not just dismissing what has come before. They reveal a relationship between old and new and ask us to reconsider cultural ownership in a globalised world. With guest speaker Courttia Newland, author, screenwriter and playwright.
Plays covered:
Days of Significance by Roy Williams
Women of Troy 2099 by Courttia Newland
Trinidad Sisters by Mustapha Matura
The Lower Depths by Tunde Ikoli.
National Theatre’s Black Plays Archive
Most of the plays covered in this series can be found in the Black Plays Archive. This is an online catalogue of the first professional production of every African, Caribbean, and Black British play produced in the UK. In addition to the catalogue there are a number of contextual resources, including audio recordings of play extracts, essays and video interviews.