Black British.Actors

I’ve been pondering exceptionally lately on what the label Black British means; the baggage it weighs on the shoulders of those who carry it, those who embrace it and those who reject it, the images and stereotypes it conjures in one’s mind, the connotations it evokes and the incessantly evolving characteristics that define Black British identity over the centuries as Africans and their enslaved and free descendants settled, both willingly and unwillingly, on this small island. Consequently, I have a few posts up my sleeve that evolve around the people who bear this label, albeit in a somewhat superficial manner because I mainly have questions. I particularly wonder when first generation Africans or Afro-Caribbeans embrace the label: Black British. What is the defining moment?

Last year the National Portrait Gallery featured “UNDEREXPOSED”, a series of portraits of 30 Black British actors in black and white, bathed in reflective light, that captivatingly, seamlessly flowed into each other on a plasma screen installation in the main hall. As the title suggests, the intended pun captured  Franklyn Rogers’ atmospheric, bold yet wispy, unique style as well as the lacking visibility of Black actors in the UK, with the aim of inspiring the next generation of Black British talent. Full set of images in the 4 The Record Initiative gallery + Timeline (1936 to 2008) of Black British actors on British film and television.

© Franklyn Rogers / 4 The Record Initiative

Another portraiture exhibition first showcased at the NPG and now on tour in the UK, also addresses the same issue but with a remarkably different feel -  a bold, colourful, opulent set of images by Donald MacLellan – which likewise, bears a title whose words carry a deeper meaning with the question: “Want to see more of me?“

In selecting a cross section of well established actors as well as those at the beginning of their careers, MacLellan highlights the depth and range of talent in the field and raises questions about the roles that are available to Black British film actors.

© Donald MacLellan

Unsurprisingly, there are conflicting views on this representation of Black actors.

Finally, just incase you didn’t know, there are rumours that these days on British TV, Africa is the new black, which is good news for Black actors. Realistically, however, for how long Africa will remain fashionable is another matter.

Update (4th March 2009): A relevant article in relation to Black British theatre in the Guardian today by artistic director of Talawa, the UK’s largest black-led theatre company, I will not put another dead young black man on stage today, says it all from its title. Patricia Cumper addresses the stereotypes portrayed time and again on the stage, whilst ignoring the full Black British experience.

I am much more interested in creating theatre that explores the complicated and dynamic relationship between Europe and Africa and the creativity that is released when cultures meet. I find it terribly frustrating that the gatekeepers at most theatres – the programmers, artistic directors, marketeers and such – are not excited by this work or the audiences they could potentially attract. Instead, it’s preferable to find work considered “urban and gritty” (and usually working-class) on the stage and believe that it represents the black experience. It does not.

But, perhaps, the time for explaining why a diversity of stories should be told has past. The question then becomes: how do black theatre practitioners put their own stories on the main stage of those big theatres?