Growing up in the poverty-struck Newham in the 80’s, I was very lucky indeed to find Theatre Royal Stratford East. After joining the youth workshop at 15, it was there that I was eventually offered the opportunity to act for the renowned Mike Leigh. This catapulted my acting career…thankfully.

I was brought through the ranks at Stratford East by my mentor and friend Philip Hedley, and became a board member at 28, which I could never have dreamed of coming from my working class, dyslexic, Black background. I was also an Associate Artist of the theatre for over a decade. With Philip Hedley, we set up Stratford East’s Musical Theatre programme and it was out of this that I got my first directing gig, ‘The Big Life’. 

I produced and starred in the multi-award winning feature film ‘SUS,’ which was simultaneously released alongside a production that I also starred in at the Young Vic Theatre. Following its success, I won multiple awards for Best Actor at the British Urban Film Awards, Screen Nation and Television Awards, Liege International Film Festival and Texas Black Film Festival.

I’ve been in theatre all my life but ‘officially’ began my playwriting journey through the Royal Court with my first play: ’Emergency’ and my screenwriting started with Nik Powell at Scala Productions. This journey was a rocky road for me, however after decades of fighting the glass ceiling, to my surprise and joy after directing my second show at the NT, I was appointed as Deputy Artistic Director of the National Theatre in 2021. My directing work at the National includes Othello (making me the first Black director to direct Othello in any major UK venue, and won Critics Awards for Best Actor), Death of England: Delroy(Winner: Best Play at Visionary Awards) and Death of England: Closing Time; the sequels to the renowned Death of England (nomination for Best Director; Black British Theatre Awards), all of which I co-wrote with Roy Williams.

These have made me one of the few artists and the very first Black artist to act, write and direct at the National Theatre; an achievement I am very proud of. 

Being of Jamaican Heritage, I was truly honoured to be offered to direct ‘Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical’, which won an Olivier for Best Original Score/New Orchestrations. The musical received four Olivier Award nominations including Best New Musical, was nominated for ten WhatsOnStage awards and received two nominations at the Evening Standard Awards for the Best Musical and Best Actor. Additionally, it won ‘Best Actor in a Musical’ and ‘Best Musical Director’ at the Black British Theatre Awards. 

The Death of England trilogy also received a West End transfer to Soho Place; a massive task, which I loved even if directing three shows at the same time was not the best idea for healthy living, but my biggest achievement to date I suspect.

Other work of mine includes Kingston 14 and The Big Life (A West End production receiving Olivier, Evening Standard and WhatsOnStage nominations as ‘First Black British Musical transfer to the West End.’) At Theatre Royal Stratford East: Sylvia Plath, as writer and director, The Westbridge (Royal Court), and The Happy Tragedy of Being Woke (Complicité; written by me and co-directed with the genius Simon Mcburney) 

My writing/directing work in TV and film includes writing ‘Starter Motor’ for the BBC’s Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle monologues, and Death of England: Face to Face; a feature-length film (co-written with Roy Williams) for the National Theatre and SKY TV. This was nominated for Best Single Drama at the BAFTA TV awards, Royal Television Society Awards and Broadcast Digital Media Awards. 

I have been fortunate enough to be an actor of over 25 years. My most cherished stage work includes: the National Theatre’s Olivier-winning production of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Best Actor, I.A.R. Awards) directed by Dominic Cooke, The Kid Stays in the Picture (Complicité at the Royal Court ; directed by Simon McBurney), SUS (Young Vic; directed by Gbolahan Obisesan), Big White Fog (Almeida; Directed by Michael Attenborough) and The Royale (Bush Theatre ; directed by Madani Younis) It’s a Great Big Shame (Theatre Royal Stratford East ; Directed by Mike Lee).