That Black Theatre Podcast: 1980s, Michael Abbensetts, Winsome Pinnock
Explicit content warning
11/02/20 • 60 min
This week we are looking at the 1980s, a time when there was a ‘boom’ in Black theatre production in Britain. We discuss the political and social changes that occurred in 1980s Britain, a decade of Thatcher’s Tory government, recession, and institutional racism.
We look at Michael Abbensetts’ In the Mood, and Winsome Pinnock’s A Hero’s Welcome. Both of these plays talk about migration and the legacies of the Second World War in very different ways. Michael Abbensetts asks how radical black politics can work within conventional political institutions, while Winsome Pinnock creates a female-centered story about life in the West Indies after the war.
Email [email protected]
Social @nationaltheatre
References:
Michael Abbensetts (2001) Michael Abbensetts: Four Pays. London: Oberon.
Winsome Pinnock (1993) ‘A Hero’s Welcome’ in Kadija George (ed) (2018) Six Plays by Black and Asian Women Writers. Twickenham: Aurora Metro Press, pp.23-70.
Nicola Abram (2015) ‘Looking Back: Winsome Pinnock’s Politics of Representation’ in Brewer, Goddard and Osborne (ed.) Modern and Contemporary Black British Drama. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, pp.95-112
Kehinde Andrews and Lisa Amanda Palmer (2016) Blackness in Britain. London: Routledge.
Kehinde Andrews (2017) ‘How to stay radical within an institution’, TEDxYouth@Brum (YouTube video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFUymWxfrkQ
Kehinde Andrews (2019) Back to Black: Black Radicalism for the 21st Century. London: Zed Books.
Colin Chambers (2011) Black and Asian Theatre in Britain: A History. London & New York: Routledge.
Peter Fryer (1984) Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain. London: Pluto Press.
Peter Fryer (1985) Black People in the British Empire: An Introduction. London: Pluto Classics.
Lynette Goddard (2007) Staging Black Feminisms: Identity, Politics, Performance. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
David Olusoga (2017) Black and British: A Forgotten History. London: Pan Books.
This week we are looking at the 1980s, a time when there was a ‘boom’ in Black theatre production in Britain. We discuss the political and social changes that occurred in 1980s Britain, a decade of Thatcher’s Tory government, recession, and institutional racism.
We look at Michael Abbensetts’ In the Mood, and Winsome Pinnock’s A Hero’s Welcome. Both of these plays talk about migration and the legacies of the Second World War in very different ways. Michael Abbensetts asks how radical black politics can work within conventional political institutions, while Winsome Pinnock creates a female-centered story about life in the West Indies after the war.
Email [email protected]
Social @nationaltheatre
References:
Michael Abbensetts (2001) Michael Abbensetts: Four Pays. London: Oberon.
Winsome Pinnock (1993) ‘A Hero’s Welcome’ in Kadija George (ed) (2018) Six Plays by Black and Asian Women Writers. Twickenham: Aurora Metro Press, pp.23-70.
Nicola Abram (2015) ‘Looking Back: Winsome Pinnock’s Politics of Representation’ in Brewer, Goddard and Osborne (ed.) Modern and Contemporary Black British Drama. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, pp.95-112
Kehinde Andrews and Lisa Amanda Palmer (2016) Blackness in Britain. London: Routledge.
Kehinde Andrews (2017) ‘How to stay radical within an institution’, TEDxYouth@Brum (YouTube video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFUymWxfrkQ
Kehinde Andrews (2019) Back to Black: Black Radicalism for the 21st Century. London: Zed Books.
Colin Chambers (2011) Black and Asian Theatre in Britain: A History. London & New York: Routledge.
Peter Fryer (1984) Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain. London: Pluto Press.
Peter Fryer (1985) Black People in the British Empire: An Introduction. London: Pluto Classics.
Lynette Goddard (2007) Staging Black Feminisms: Identity, Politics, Performance. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
David Olusoga (2017) Black and British: A Forgotten History. London: Pan Books.
Previous Episode
That Black Theatre Podcast: 1970s, Black Power Politics, Mustapha Matura & Alfred Fagon
This week we are looking at the 1970s, a time of resistance and rebellion. We talk about the work of Mustapha Matura and Alfred Fagon amidst the realities of police brutality, anti-racist politics and Black Power in Britain and the USA.
Mustapha Matura’s ‘Welcome Home Jacko’ and Alfred Fagon’s ‘The Death of a Black Man’ discuss Black politics, disenfranchisement, Black masculinity, Pan-Africanism and the appropriation of Black cultures during the 1970s. We discuss the legacies of these two great writers, with archival recordings from the Black Plays Archive.
Email [email protected]
Social @nationaltheatre
References:
Mustapha Matura (1980) ‘Welcome Home Jacko’ in Lynette Goddard (ed.) (2011) The Methuen Drama Book of Plays by Black British Writers. London: Bloomsbury, pp.1-59
Alfred Fagon (1999) ‘The Death of a Black Man’ in Alfred Fagon (1999) Alfred Fagon: Plays. London: Oberon, pp.87-149
Akala (2019) Natives: Race & Class in the Ruins of Empire. London: Two Roads.
Kehinde Andrews (2019) Back to Black: Black Radicalism for the 21st Century. London: Zed Books.
Colin Chambers (2011) Black and Asian Theatre in Britain: A History. London & New York: Routledge.
Peter Fryer (1984) Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain. London: Pluto Press.
Peter Fryer (1985) Black People in the British Empire: An Introduction. London: Pluto Classics.
Lynette Goddard (2011) ‘Introduction’ in Lynette Goddard (ed.) (2011) The Methuen Drama Book of Plays by Black British Writers. London: Bloomsbury, pp.vii-xxvi
David Olusoga (2017) Black and British: A Forgotten History. London: Pan Books.
Michael Pearce (2017) Black British Drama: A Transnational Story. London: Routledge.
Roland Rees (1999) ‘Introduction’ in Alfred Fagon (1999) Alfred Fagon: Plays. London: Oberon, pp.9-21
Next Episode
That Black Theatre Podcast: Black Women Time,1980s -1990s, Jackie Kay, Valerie Mason-John and Lynette Goddard
This week, we discuss the position of Black women playwrights in the 1980s and 1990s. We talk to Professor Lynette Goddard (Royal Holloway University) about the politics of representation and Black lesbian and queer playwrights, including Jackie Kay and Valerie Mason-John. We talk about Jackie Kay’s Chiaroscuro, which looks at sisterhood and the plurality of Black women’s experiences. We also include a clip and discussion from Valerie Mason-John’s play, Sin Dykes, which discusses inter-racial lesbian relationships, BDSM and legacies of racial trauma.
Email [email protected]
Social @nationaltheatre
References:
Jackie Kay (1987/2011) ‘Chiaroscuro’ in Lynette Goddard (ed.) The Methuen Drama Book of Plays by Black British Writers. London: Bloomsbury, pp.59-119
Valerie Mason-John (1998) Play script of Sin Dykes MPS 11988 (British Library, Archives and Manuscripts).
Colin Chambers (2011) Black and Asian Theatre in Britain: A History. London & New York: Routledge.
Peter Fryer (1984) Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain. London: Pluto Press.
Peter Fryer (1985) Black People in the British Empire: An Introduction. London: Pluto Classics.
Lynette Goddard (2007) Staging Black Feminisms: Identity, Politics, Performance. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
Dimple Godiwala (2006) Alternatives Within the Mainstream: British Black and Asian Theatre. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Press.
Ashley Tellis (2007) ‘We Sinful Dykes: Lesbian Sexuality in Valerie Mason-John's Sin Dykes’ in Dimple Godiwala (ed.) Alternatives Within the Mainstream II: Queer Theatres in Post-War Britain. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Press, pp.239-247
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