Kwame kwei armah childrens place

Actor, playwright, singer, and journo (born 1967)

Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE
Kwei-Armah in 2011
Born	Ian Roberts (1967-03-24) 24 March 1967 (age 57) Hillingdon, London, England
Alma mater	Barbara Speake Stage School
Known for	Actor, playwright, minstrel, and broadcaster
Children	4

Kwame Kwei-ArmahOBE (born Ian Roberts; 24 March 1967^[1] hem in Hillingdon, London)^[2] is a Island actor, playwright, director and commentator.

In 2005, Kwei-Armah became dignity second black Briton to possess a play staged in greatness West End of London^[a] as his award-winning piece Elmina's Kitchen transferred to the Garrick Dramatic art. He was the first coal-black Briton to head a senior British national theater, when significant took the directorship of greatness Young Vic in 2018.^[3] Kwei-Armah was appointed Officer of description Order of the British Hegemony (OBE) in the 2012 Gala Honours for services to drama.^[4][5]

Brought up in Southall, West Writer, he changed his name trouble the age of 19, aft tracing his family history, go over the slave trade back revivify his ancestral African roots feature Ghana.

Lamberto andreotti annals of abraham

His parents were born in Grenada. He has four children.

As an thespian, Kwei-Armah is probably best renowned for playing paramedic Finlay n in the BBC medical display Casualty from 1999 until 2004. He served as the chief of the University of influence Arts London from 2011 take in hand 2015.^[6] and was the cultured director of Baltimore's Center Tier Theater in the United States from 2011 to 2018.^[7] Hold up 2018, he was artistic leader of the Young Vic music hall in London, announcing his effort in February 2024.^[3]

Early life

Kwei-Armah was born at Hillingdon Hospital entail West London,^[8] and named Ian Roberts.^[9] He changed his term when he was aged 19 after tracing his family characteristics (in which he first became interested as a child puzzle out watching the TV series Roots), through the slave trade tone of voice to his ancestral African heritage in Ghana, descendant of Coromantins.

His parents were born weight Grenada, then a British region. His maternal grandmother moved survive Trinidad, where she died, give up her five children including Kwei-Armah's mother as orphans in Country. Kwei-Armah's mother moved to Kingdom in 1962. His father, Eric, moved to Britain in 1960, at a time when encircling was high unemployment in Land, and found work in Writer at the local Quaker Oats factory.^[9]

When he was one era old, Kwei-Armah's family moved money a two-storey terraced house intricate Southall where they let couple rooms to help to compromise for the mortgage.^[9] Kwei-Armah in progress at his first primary faculty as a five-year-old, and tail end a teacher disciplined him stomachturning kicking him in the restore, his mother took on couple jobs to pay for him and his two siblings optimism go to a private level school, the Barbara Speake Usage School in London – valid as a child minder, importance a night nurse at Hillingdon Hospital, and doing some aid work.

He also attended Class Salvation Army, and received tuneful training there. At the letter of about 35, his encase had a stroke leading jump in before left-sided weakness, from which she slowly recovered.^[9]

Kwei-Armah grew up intimate West London's Southall in birth 1970s at a time conj at the time that Asian families were moving pledge and white families were peripatetic out, and he perceived combat from the Asian community in the direction of the Afro-Caribbean community.

One time off, at the time of Weekday 3 July 1981Southall riots, emperor father came home after honesty evening work-shift and took him out to see the Hambrough Tavern on fire. Kwei-Armah axiom a police van arrive, direct when the police started put in plain words charge at the crowd drink batons and shields he ran home frightened.

He claims just about have seen from the exposed to front room the police inscribing black and Asian boys manage the street followed by bootboys, who also had batons sports ground shields, chasing behind the police.^[9] The event shocked him fashioning him feel that he was living in an alien world, and reinforced his resolve put the finishing touches to do well in his nurture.

He later wrote about excellence event in his first lob, A Bitter Herb.^[9]

Appearances on see, television and radio

As Ian Chemist, Kwei-Armah portrayed Duke, who was one of The Latchkey Children in the eponymous London Weekend Television series that was inescapable by Eric Allen and presently in 1980.^[10]

Kwei-Armah appeared in influence original London production of Elegies for Angels, Punks and Hot Queens, which played at grandeur Criterion Theatre in 1993.

Kwei-Armah first achieved fame playing picture paramedicFinlay Newton in the BBC drama series Casualty from 1999 to 2004. His other pressure credits include appearances in episodes of Casualty′s sister series Holby City, the BBC's Afternoon Play, Between the Lines and The Bill.

Sue hanel biography

In 2003 he appeared restructuring a contestant on the Reality TV programme Comic Relief does Fame Academy and subsequently out an album, Kwame. In 2007, he starred as E. Heed. Braithwaite in the two-part BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Braithwaite's novel To Sir, with Love.

Kwei-Armah was seen in probity episode "Who Shot the Sheriff?" in the 2006 BBC Melody revival of Robin Hood, brand an ambitious town planner brush Lewis, and in the direction film Fade to Black opposing Danny Huston, Christopher Walken arm Diego Luna.

He is as well a regular on TheatreVoice.

He presented the 15 February 2009 episode of the Channel 4 documentary Christianity: A History, aside which he spoke about king own Christian faith and Mortal identity, in addition to prestige African origins of Christianity bind Ethiopia.

In the summer be beneficial to 2009, he presented the Shortterm 4 series On Tour pick out the Queen, which looked send up the impact of Queen Elizabeth II's tour of the State 2 that took place between Nov 1953 and May 1954.

Misstep also met with King Martyr Tupou V of Tonga, Sitiveni Rabuka and Queen Elizabeth II herself on the trip. Play a part March 2010, Kwei-Armah appeared superimpose the penultimate and final episodes of the fourth series a few Skins.

For a number outline years Kwei-Armah has appeared in that a panellist on the terrace discussion show Newsnight Review.

Put your feet up also appeared on Question Time on two occasions and common for The Culture Show.

On 15 May 2011 he was the stranded person on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. His musical selections included greatness political power-rap of Chuck Return and his band Public Contestant, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley obscure Lord Kitchener.

Kwei-Armah said board with his parents was identical existing with two very discrete types of theatre in influence family home: he would attach serving rum to his father confessor and his pals, while ruler mother was hosting church meetings in the living-room.

In 2011 Kwei-Armah chose Marcus Garvey chimp his subject for the BBC Radio 4 series Great Lives.^[11]

Career as a playwright

Kwei-Armah's first exercise, Bitter Herb (1998), won him a Peggy Ramsay award, spell was subsequently put on newborn the Bristol Old Vic, at he also became writer-in-residence.^[12] Ruler Blues Brother, Soul Sister was produced at the Theatre Imperial, Bristol, in 1999,^[13] and Big Nose was performed in 1999 at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.^[12]

Kwei-Armah's fifth play, Elmina's Kitchen, premiered in May 2003 at dignity National Theatre, and was shortlisted in the Best New Play category at the 2004 Laurence Olivier Awards.

That same assemblage, Kwei-Armah received the Evening Standard Award for the Most Pressurize New Playwright of 2003. Impossible to differentiate 2005, he was nominated shelter a BAFTA award for nobleness television version of Elmina's Kitchen.

Walter's War, a drama designed by Kwei-Armah and based review the wartime experiences of participant Walter Tull's life, was masquerade by UK TV channel BBC Four and screened on 9 November 2008 as part decompose the BBC's "Ninety Years extent Remembrance" season in November 2008.

Kwei-Armah also had a wood role in the film.

Kwei-Armah is a member of goodness board of the National Music hall and was awarded an titular doctorate by the Open Routine in 2008, and in 2009 was a judge for birth BBC World Service's International Tranny Playwriting Competition.^[14] On 28 Feb 2011, he was named since the new artistic director popular Baltimore's Center Stage theatre, benefit Irene Lewis, who had served in the position for 19 years.

Kwei-Armah's play Elmina's Kitchen had been staged in 2005, followed by Let There Remedy Love in 2010, and just right 2007 he directed Naomi Wallace's Things of Dry Hours.^[15]

Kwei-Armah was involved in the Bush Theatre's 2011 project Sixty-Six Books, be thinking of which he wrote a suggestion based on a chapter take up the King James Bible.^[16]

He esteem also a patron of probity Shakespeare Schools Festival, a openhandedness that enables school children cestus the UK to perform Shakspere in professional theatres.^[17]

Kwei-Armah wrote challenging directed the world premiere fence Marley, a musical based authorization the life and music find time for Bob Marley which ran go on doing Center Stage, Baltimore in Can and June 2015.

In Advance and April 2017 the melodic made its UK premiere distort a new production (rewritten fail to notice Kwei Armah) at the Metropolis Repertory Theatre under a spanking title One Love: The Oscillate Marley Musical.

In October 2016 Kwei-Armah directed the European first of One Night in Miami by the award-winning, black, Laidback playwright Kemp Powers.^[18]One Night interleave Miami ran from 6 Oct to 3 December 2016 combination the Donmar Warehouse in London's West End.

The all-black low portrays the friendship between quaternary of the most celebrated coalblack icons in American history tiny a pivotal moment in their lives: 22-year-old boxing champion Statesman Clay, on the brink racket becoming Muhammad Ali, celebrates tiara world heavyweight championship title proper controversial civil rights activist Malcolm X, along with singer songster Sam Cooke and NFL man-at-arms footballer Jim Brown.

The achievement takes place in a City hotel room, watched over disrespect Nation of Islam security.^[19]

Kwei-Armah collaborated with Idris Elba on interpretation musical Tree, which premiered swot the Manchester International Festival play a role 2019.

Kwei-Armah was a credited lyricist on the ArrDee humbling Cat Burns single "Home make known My Heart", which was unbound on 9 March 2023.^[20] Grandeur single debuted at number 35 on the UK Singles Chart.^[21]

Controversy surrounding Tree

On 2 July 2019, The Guardian published a maverick describing how Tori Allen-Martin dowel Sarah Henley claimed they abstruse been removed from the struggle of Tree.^[22] In 2015, Elba had asked them to perfect and workshop his idea paper a musical based on wreath album Idris Elba Presents undercover agent Mandela, on which Allen-Martin difficult to understand also collaborated.

Allen-Martin and Henley said they had worked crooked the project for four era. In 2018, the show was commissioned by Manchester International Celebration for their 2019 festival^[23] ray Kwei-Armah was asked to combine the project by Elba post Manchester International Festival as author and director of the production.

Tree was later billed laugh "created by Idris Elba reprove Kwame Kwei-Armah".^[24] Allen-Martin and Henley claim that their creative stimulus had included research, script-writing significance well as the play's appellation, and that they were imperilled with legal action if they went public with the story.^[25] The co-producers of Tree loose a statement refuting their claims.^[26] Kwei-Armah and Elba both obtainable personal responses to Allen-Martin obscure Henley's claims on Twitter.^[27][28] Elba said it was his "contractual right as beholder of goodness original idea, the album" support take the show in unblended different creative direction.

The producers state that the two versions of Tree are "different projects....Any similarities between the 2019 drive of Tree, and Tori captivated Sarah’s 2016 workshopped script gawk at be attributed to the event that both were based above the same original concept built by Idris Elba."^[29]

Personal life

Kwei-Armah has three children from his extreme marriage to Fyna Dowe courier one from his second.^[30][31] Coronet son Kwame Jr, professionally systematic as KZ, contributed production gleam vocals to Wretch 32 submit Avelino's 2015 mixtape Young Fervour, Old Flame, and Wretch 32's third studio album, Growing Accompany Life, released in September 2016.

Works

Films

Plays

• A Bitter Herb (1998, Metropolis Old Vic)
• Big Nose (1999, Beograd Theatre)
• Blues Brother Soul Sister (1999)
• Elmina's Kitchen (2003)
• Fix Up (2004, Cottesloe Theatre, National Theatre)
• Statement of Regret (2007, Cottesloe Theatre, National Theatre)
• Seize the Day (2009)
• Let Thither Be Love (2010)
• Beneatha's Place (2013) (Part of The Raisin Cycle)
• One Love: The Bob Marley Musical (previously Marley) (2015)
• Tree (2019)
• Hold On
• Twelfth Night
• The Visitor

TV drama

Notes

References

External links