Published plays by Kwame Kwei-Armah include: Let There Be Love, Fix Up, A Bitter Herb, Seize the Day and Big Nose.
Summary (Extract)
JUNIOR, 26-year-old son of West-Indian Kwaku and African Lola, works as the Events Manager at the Institute of Black Policy Research. He immediately feels intimidated by the newly appointed intern, Oxford-educated West-Indian Adrian. Unlike Adrian, Junior did not attend university and is not as well-spoken as Adrian or the other staff members at the think-tank. When his father Kwaku chooses to work with Adrian instead of Junior (his own son), he begins to question Adrian’s true identity. The relationship between Adrian and Junior becomes turbulent when Junior realises that Adrian is his half-brother. But when their father’s mental health rapidly deteriorates, and his father refuses to listen to Africans, Junior desperately needs his half-brother’s help.
JUNIOR
What do you know, Adrian? That he screamed like an animal being skinned alive when he found his father had been laying dead for three days at the bottom of his stairs? That his father left everything he had to his thirty-year-old girlfriend of two years and the rest of us nothing? That he didn’t say a word to us but went to the grave every day for eighteen months crying, asking for forgiveness? What do you know? Tell me what you know, O favoured one? I tell you what I know – that if we don’t help him he will fall and die. And any legacy that the man’s had will lay at the bottom of the gutter that they pick him up from. Gloved and masked. You think we’re wounded now? Wait till we have to visit him in Rampton.
[Beat. The boys stare at each other.]
I may not be as bright as you, know all this slave history stuff, but I do know that this is how they got us to sell each other in the first place…told one tribe they were better than the other – while arming and saying the same to the neighbouring tribe. I want to kill you right now. If we get caught up in our own shit – no one wins. I paraphrase but I’m sure I quote a great work.
…
It was there to be read. I also read your conclusion. One needs to say sorry. Even when you are unsure of the harm you have caused…unsure of how one has personally benefited. So… sorry, Adrian…
…
For all you’ve had to go through…
…
I am sorry…
From
LITTLE BABY JESUS
by Arinze Kene
Little Baby Jesus by Arinze Kene was co-produced by BEcreative and Spora Stories at Oval House Theatre, as part of their London via Lagos season, in London on 25 May 2011. This production was directed by Ché Walker with the following cast members: Fiston Barek (Kehinde), Seroca Davis (Joanne) and Akemnji Ndifernyen (Rugrat).
Little Baby Jesus could be described as a modern-day parable, as it effectively extracts stories and references directly from the bible and places them in a contemporary playground of street slang, gangs and adolescents.
Arinze Kene’s play Little Baby Jesus is a coming of age story of three inner-city teenagers – Kehinde, Rugrat and Joanne – as they encounter situations which force them to grow up quicker than expected. Written in a series of monologues, the world of each character gradually collide, overlap and gel together as they deal with themes of mental health, death and violence.
About the Playwright
Actor, playwright and Artistic Director of Inner City Theatre Company, Arinze Kene was born in Lagos, Nigeria and moved to London in 1991. Arinze pursued an acting career by training at Identity Drama School in East London. He is most famously known for his role as Connor Stanley in British television soap opera EastEnders. In 2010, he made a leap from acting to playwriting with his debut play Estate Walls which was presented as part of the Omo London festival, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence. In 2010, Arinze won the award for Most Promising Playwright at The Offies (Off West End Award) for his first play Estate Walls. Throughout his writing career, Arinze has been affiliated with the Young Writers Programme at the Royal Court Theatre, Soho Theatre HUB Writers programme and the series 3 writing team for EastEnders E20.
Summary (Extract)
KEHINDE is a sixteen-year-old black boy, described in the play as ‘the boy who never leaves’ school.
KEHINDE’s sister that can outrun everyone in the school including Pierre Cunningham, the leader of the Cali Road Boys gang (CRB). When she wins the race and Pierre announces his victory, Kehinde has to decide whether to stick up for his sister or agree with the school bully.
KEHINDE
Pierre?! Nah! Pierre didn’t win shit!
They were only saying that because they were afraid of him and the Cali Road Boys. Look at Pierre’s face, he knows he lost. He weren’t showing off like he does when he gets it in the back of the net. Yo Pierre!! (Walking up to him.)
He’s taller than me but I made sure I got in his face –
‘Why deceive yourself, fam? Why, fam? You lost. Accept it. Digest it. Look, look at this, this is the letter ‘L’, you should eat it. You should marry it. You earned it. You can’t win all the time. CRB? Who… Why would anyone wanna be in your scabby crew? I lost mad respect for you, fam. Epic Fail.’
Instead what really came out was –
‘Ah Pierre, gotta give it to you, bro, you’re kinda fast, that was close but you won, by an inch though, just an inch, that was close but you won, you had a better start, she should’ve dipped.’
SHIIIT!
What’s wrong with me?
My eyes dart over his shoulder in search of Taiwo. Phew. She was occupied, she didn’t clock.
That’s when I heard a crow caw from the tree above and… there was something about this moment.
You…you know when you’re brushing your teeth in the morning and you suddenly remember you had a dream last night and you just kinda freeze up in front of the mirror because you’re trying to recall it and you almost had it just now but it slipped away? And you have to let it go, carry on brushing and try to forget about it because you know that the more you try and remember it, the further it’s gonna repress itself deep down into your inner psyche? That feeling. When I heard the crow caw in the tree it jugged something in the quicksand part of my mind and gave me that feeling. I knew there was some kinda lesson to be learnt, I felt as though I were reliving a parable.
A CRB throws his scabby arm over my shoulder.
‘Who’s the fastest in the year, bruv?’
‘Err it used to be Taiwo but now it’s Pierre,’ I said quickly.
Then the pin dropped. I realised what the muffled fluttering under my subconscious was about. It swung my rationale into the story Mr Taruvangadum taught us earlier that day.
Right before they captured Jesus, when he was chilling with his Apostles, he said to Simon Peter –
‘Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.’
It was obvious. The crow’s caw was the cock’s first caw. Sounds crazy I know but it was a sign.
Up in the tree, the crow stared directly down at me. I barely understood the omen, when Pierre grabbed me by the strap of my school bag and lead me to the middle –
‘…even Kehindickle saw!! Tell ’em what you saw, go on, tell ’em.’
I looked up at the crow. My sister’s face shot out to me from the crowd.
‘Errr. You…Pierre won. Tawio should’ve dipped.’
The crow cawed a harsh final cry then flew from the tree.
Taiwo heard. She turns her head in shame.
Shit.
That rendered me horrendous.
I pulled my tongue out of Pierre’s bumhole and let it back in my mouth where it should’ve stayed
FUCK!
I tried to explain to her that –
‘I swear down, he won by an inch, I’m telling you, from where I was standing, at the angle from which I saw it, he won by an inch – plus, the sun was in my eye, you should’ve dipped.’
to obvious no avail. She had no words for me, she wouldn’t even look in my face.
‘Oi
…’
She zipped open her rucksack, barely listening to my false apologia, turned and articulated one thing:
‘You have SO much to learn.’
That shot me through my bad heart ten times –
Raptured my spleen,
fractured my ribs,
internal bleeding,
haemorrhages,
blood clot,
cataracts,
brain damage,
heart attack.
Death by double-crossing. My one person in the world. If I were allowed to have one person in the world. I’d have Taiwo.
As I watched her put her trainers into the carrier bag before she puts them in her racksack, I promised myself I would never shun a blessing to gain friends ever again. Right then and there, I grew up. Inside here – (Touches his heart.) And the growing pains sent a tear rolling down my cheek. I had to pull myself together, quickly.
From
FIXER
by Lydia Adetunji
Fixer by Lydia Adetunji was first produced at the HighTide Festival in Suffolk in 2009. The play was developed with the support of the Almeida Theatre. A new version of Fixer was performed at Oval House Theatre in London on 21 June 2011. The latest version was directed by Dan Bernard and Rachel Briscoe starring Richard Pepple (Chuks), Alex Barclay (Dave), Robert Bowman (Jerome), Babajide Fado (Tracksuit Man), Jennifer Jackson (Sara), Damola Adelaja (Laurence) and Nick Oshikanlu (Porter).
Lydia Adetunji’s political play Fixer explores a darker side to international journalism. Set in a world of corruption, competition and desperation where getting the most exclusive story is paramount at whatever cost. In northern Nigeria a group of militant rebels referred to as ‘The Boys’ have been attacking ‘The Consortium’s’ oil pipelines. The new recruits of ‘The Consortium’, Sara and ex-journalist Jerome, have been employed to manage any negative media attention and thus prevent damaging stories about ‘The Consortium’ from ‘The Boys’ leaking into the desirous hands of international journalists.
British journalists Dave a.k.a. Dangerman, and young enthusiast Laurence, are keen to outdo each other and be the first to interview ‘The Boys’ to get their big break, however they both require the knowledge of the boys’ whereabouts and the only person that can help them is a Fixer named Chuks. Scarred by the near-death experience encountered when he took the American journalist Jerome to see ‘The Boys’ a year ago, Chuks, now the owner of a small bar called Madam Hannah (named after his five-year-old child), wants to leave the dangerous life of being a Fixer behind him. However, when both journalists entice Chuks by offering large amounts of money, he succumbs to the challenge which leads to deadly consequences.
About the Playwright
Playwright and journalist Lydia Adetunji was born in Stockport in Manchester, England. Lydia was raised in Nigeria and Britain. After graduating from the University of Cambridge with BA degree in Chinese, she pursued a career in journalism working at
the Financial Times newspaper.
Lydia Adetunji’s experience of living in Nigeria and career in journalism informed the story of her first award-winning play, a play set in Nigeria about journalism. In 2010, Fixer was selected as an outstanding example of international theatre at the National Play Festival in Brisbane. Since writing her first play Adetuniji has been associated with Channel 4, BBC Films, Paines Plough and the Tricycle Theatre.
Summary (Extract)
CHUKS, a Nigerian fixer in his thirties, is stuck in the middle of two rival British journalists who undercut each other with the hope of persuading Chuks to arrange an exclusive interview with the militant rebels named ‘The Boys’. With Dave’s offer of one hundred thousand naira sealed and Laurence’s underhand offer of an additional fifty thousand naira on the table, Chuks begins to warm to the idea of taking them to see the boys.
CHUKS
No. You don’t understand what I am telling you. Open your ears, eh? If I help you to find them, they will come back and find me. They will make trouble for me after you have already packed up your things and gone back to your five-star. No deal, no deal.
Pause.
You want to know what the boys said to me? You want to know? They showed me something. But the thing my eye see, my mouth no fit talk am.
…
They showed me a picture they snapped. Of a man. This traitor betrayed the boys, so they beat the hell out of him. The blood was pouring. The man was dying. He begged the boys to take him to the hospital.
Pause.
So they put him in the boot of a car and they drove him to the hospital. When they reached there, they carried him out of the car and went inside. They took him to the mortuary. They opened one of the freezers, and they closed him inside. When he was still alive.
Pause.
Then the boys left the hospital. But nobody helped the man in the freezer, because the boys said ‘don’t help him’.
I am not messing with the boys. They suspect me I am a traitor. They say I make too much cash from my business with you people. They think I take money left right and centre to open this bar.
CHUKS waves an arm at the room.
They ask which oyinbos I take money from next – the pipeline consortium?
From
BASHMENT
by Rikki Beadle-Blair
Bashment by Rikki Beadle-Blair was first performed at Theatre Royal Stratford East in London on 25 May 2005. Written and directed by the author, the original cast included: Nathan Clough (MC KKK), Ludvig Bonin (DJ Venom), Jennifer Daley (Karisma), Joel Dommett (JJ), Arnie Hewitt (Sam/Daniel/Arresting Officer/Judge/Prisoner), Duncan MacInnes (Kevan), Joe Marshall (White Fang), Anthony Newell (Orlando), Jason Steed (MC Eggy), and Luke Toulson.
Bashment tackles homophobic lyrics in popular urban music. A homophobic attack takes place in a Raggae Dance Hall competition. The group of five youths (members of the Ilford Illmanics crew) involved in the attack defend their actions by saying they were provoked, and receive an extremely light sentence. Public defender confronts the attackers before they’re released and asks, ‘Did the music make you do it?’
About the Playwright
Award-winning playwright, director, choreographer, rock musician, cabaret artist and producer Rikki Beadle-Blair was born in south London and raised by his Jamaican mother. From the age of seventeen, when he performed with his band Three People at a Gay’s the Word concert, Rikki Beadle-Blair has been a proactive gay activist using his artistic voice to raise the awareness of homosexuality, particularly in the black community.
Rikki is renowned for his stage play Bashment which was nominated for Best New Play at the national TMA awards. In 2010, the movie adaptation of Bashment was produced by Rikki Beadle-Blair and his company Team Angelica.
Other published plays by Rikki Beadle-Blair include: Family Man, Fit and Shalom Baby.
Summary (Extract)
The action takes place on the same day as the MC Throwdown competition. Two members of the Ilford Illmanics crew, MC KKK, a twenty-two-year old Jamaican, together with White Fang, attempt to use their bad-boy reputation to intimidate cashier Karisma into serving them first at the local east London petrol station. Karisma refuses to serve him which leads to a verbal attack on her and the other customers in the shop.
KKK
Think you’re cute, innit?
Think you got it all sorted
– think you ain’t ghetto,
Just ’cause your upwardly-mobile nigger daddy found a white bitch to be his baby mama
and you grew up talking like the enemy you think you ain’t ghetto, innit?
Well, when you marry your nice lickle white bot
with his nice lickle white boy
with his nice lickle white job
and his nice lickle white house
in nice lickle Whitetown
and you take your nice lickle mullato baby out
in his nice lickle pram
and all the nice lickle white mums arx you how long you been h
is fucking nanny
you’ll see just how cute you ain’t and you’ll know just how ghetto you are.
And when that moment reach and you call your Gay Best Friend
and he sends your call to voicemail – you’ll think of this moment,
yeah and you’ll remember – you could’ve connected with a brudda.
Someone coulda had your back.
You get me?... Sista?
From
TWO HORSEMEN
by ’Biyi Bandele-Thomas
Two Horsemen premiered at the Gate Theatre in London on 27 July 1994, as part of the London New Play Festival, directed by Roxanna Silbert and performed by Leo Winger (Banza) and Colin Farlane (Lagbaja).
’Biyi Bandele-Thomas is a remarkable storyteller. His play Two Horsemen illustrates his love of language, imagination and stories. Set in a decrepit ‘room somewhere’ in a timeless world where two street sweepers, Banza and Lagbaja, seamlessly reinvent themselves, swap identities and thus alter their relationship to one another. Throughout the play, the men suggest they (along with a character called Sidi who we never meet) are the only survivors of a flood which wiped out the entire area. The two men escape a life of boredom by recounting the most obscure personal stories about their experience meeting God, close encounters with death and acts of murder and revenge. As the play unravels, it becomes difficult to tell if these stories are true or fabricated or even if the characters are alive or dead.
The Oberon Book of Monologues for Black Actors, Monologues for Men, Volume 1 Page 6