British Black and Asian Shakespeareans - by Jami Rogers (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Shakespeare is at the heart of the British theatrical tradition, but the contribution of Ira Aldridge and the Shakespearean performers of African, Afro-Caribbean and Asian heritage who came after him is not widely known. Telling the story for the first time of how Shakespearean theatre was integrated from the 1960s to the twenty-first century, this is a timely and important account of that contribution. Drawing extensively on empirical evidence from the British Black and Asian Shakespeare Performance Database and featuring interviews with many performers, the book chronicles important productions that led to ground-breaking castings of black and Asian actors in substantial Shakespearean roles including: ] Zakes Mokae (Cry Freedom) as one of three black Witches in William Gaskill's production of Macbeth, Royal Court Theatre, London, 1966 ] Norman Beaton as Angelo in Michael Rudman's 1981 Measure for Measure at the National Theatre, the first majority black Shakespearean cast at the National Theatre ] Adrian Lester as Henry V in Nicholas Hytner's 2003 production Detailing the earliest recorded castings of black and Asian performers in Shakespeare's roles, this illuminating account illustrates the various ways in which black and Asian actors have been integrated into contemporary Shakespearean productions. With first-hand accounts from key performers including Joseph Marcell, Adrian Lester, Noma Dumezweni, Rakie Ayola, Ray Fearon, Paterson Joseph, Lucian Msamati and many more, this book is an invaluable history of black and Asian Shakespeareans that highlights the gains these actors have made and the challenges still faced in pursuing a career in classical theatre"--

Book Synopsis

Shakespeare is at the heart of the British theatrical tradition, but the contribution of Ira Aldridge and the Shakespearean performers of African, African-Caribbean, south Asian and east Asian heritage who came after him is not widely known. Telling the story for the first time of how Shakespearean theatre in Britain was integrated from the 1960s to the 21st century, this is a timely and important account of that contribution. Drawing extensively on empirical evidence from the British Black and Asian Shakespeare Performance Database and featuring interviews with nearly forty performers and directors, the book chronicles important productions that led to ground-breaking castings of Black and Asian actors in substantial Shakespearean roles including:


- Zakes Mokae (Cry Freedom) as one of three black witches in William Gaskill's 1966 production of Macbeth at the Royal Court Theatre.

- Norman Beaton as Angelo in Michael Rudman's 1981 production of Measure for Measure at the National Theatre - the first majority Black Shakespearean cast at the theatre.

- Josette Simon as Isabella in Measure for Measure at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1987.

- Adrian Lester in the title role of Nicholas Hytner's 2003 production of Henry V.

- Iqbal Khan on his 2012 production of Much Ado About Nothing - the first production with an all south Asian cast at the Royal Shakespeare Company.

- Alfred Enoch and Rakie Ayola as Edgar and Goneril in Talawa Theatre Company's 2016 production of King Lear

- Paapa Essiedu as Hamlet in Simon Godwin's 2016 production for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

With first-hand accounts from key performers including Joseph Marcell, Adrian Lester, Josette Simon, Lolita Chakrabarti, Noma Dumezweni, Rakie Ayola, David Yip, Ray Fearon, Paterson Joseph, Alfred Enoch, Rudolph Walker and many more, this book is an invaluable history of Black and Asian Shakespeareans that highlights the gains these actors have made and the challenges still faced in pursuing a career in classical theatre.

Review Quotes

A vital read for anyone interested in the gains made by, not just some of Britain's greatest actors of colour, but by some of Britain's greatest actors.
David Oyelowo OBE

Celebrating the contributions of actors of African-Caribbean and Asian heritage in the Shakespeare industry, this invaluable book contributes to decolonising the theatre and recuperating the experiences of practitioners of colour. - Adele Lee, Associate Professor, Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing, Emerson College

This is a book that I have eagerly awaited, both as a playgoer and as a cultural historian. Jami Rogers's engrossing account of Black and Asian Shakespeareans from Ira Aldridge to Josette Simon is a fascinating and timely contribution to Shakespeare studies, providing a much needed survey of the resistance that British actors of colour have long faced, as well as the inroads they have made in making Shakespeare truly representative.
James Shapiro, author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare

About the Author

Jami Rogers trained at LAMDA and has an MA and a PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK. Her career has spanned television and education, including eight years at PBS's Masterpiece Theatre in Boston, MA. She has taught classical acting at ArtsEd and Shakespeare at the University of Warwick, where she is an Honorary Fellow. She researches and writes about racial and gender inequality in Britain's live and recorded arts.