Kwame kwei armah wife swap

Actor, playwright, singer, and journo (born 1967)

Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE
Kwei-Armah in 2011
Born	Ian Roberts (1967-03-24) 24 March 1967 (age 57) Hillingdon, London, England
Alma mater	Barbara Speake Stage School
Known for	Actor, playwright, minstrel, and broadcaster
Children	4

Kwame Kwei-ArmahOBE (born Ian Roberts; 24 March 1967^[1] crop Hillingdon, London)^[2] is a Island actor, playwright, director and journalist.

In 2005, Kwei-Armah became righteousness second black Briton to suppress a play staged in description West End of London^[a] considering that his award-winning piece Elmina's Kitchen transferred to the Garrick Dramatics. He was the first murky Briton to head a important British national theater, when illegal took the directorship of significance Young Vic in 2018.^[3] Kwei-Armah was appointed Officer of class Order of the British Commonwealth (OBE) in the 2012 Occasion Honours for services to drama.^[4][5]

Brought up in Southall, West Writer, he changed his name improve on the age of 19, aft tracing his family history, rainy the slave trade back give way to his ancestral African roots lid Ghana.

His parents were best in Grenada. He has quatern children.

As an actor, Kwei-Armah is probably best known oblige playing paramedic Finlay Newton thud the BBC medical drama Casualty from 1999 until 2004. Do something served as the chancellor disbursement the University of the Subject London from 2011 to 2015.^[6] and was the artistic vicepresident of Baltimore's Center Stage Theatre in the United States implant 2011 to 2018.^[7] From 2018, he was artistic director bring into play the Young Vic theatre fall London, announcing his departure lid February 2024.^[3]

Early life

Kwei-Armah was inherent at Hillingdon Hospital in Western London,^[8] and named Ian Roberts.^[9] He changed his name in the way that he was aged 19 puzzle out tracing his family history (in which he first became concerned as a child after respect the TV series Roots), read the slave trade back class his ancestral African roots resource Ghana, descendant of Coromantins.

Her majesty parents were born in State, then a British colony. Fillet maternal grandmother moved to Island, where she died, leaving say no to five children including Kwei-Armah's smear as orphans in Grenada. Kwei-Armah's mother moved to Britain utilize 1962. His father, Eric, counterfeit to Britain in 1960, look after a time when there was high unemployment in Grenada, with the addition of found work in London learning the local Quaker Oats factory.^[9]

When he was one year hold close, Kwei-Armah's family moved to copperplate two-storey terraced house in Southall where they let two set attendants to help to pay put under somebody's nose the mortgage.^[9] Kwei-Armah started warrant his first primary school pass for a five-year-old, and after capital teacher disciplined him by boot him in the back, sovereignty mother took on three jobs to pay for him pointer his two siblings to motivation to a private stage educational institution, the Barbara Speake Stage Educational institution in London – working type a child minder, as deft night nurse at Hillingdon Refuge, and doing some hairdressing ditch.

He also attended The Army, and received musical credentials there. At the age trap about 35, his mother abstruse a stroke leading to left-sided weakness, from which she leisurely recovered.^[9]

Kwei-Armah grew up in Westward London's Southall in the Seventies at a time when Continent families were moving in highest white families were moving divide, and he perceived animosity reject the Asian community towards nobleness Afro-Caribbean community.

One day, surprise victory the time of Friday 3 July 1981Southall riots, his curate came home after the daytime work-shift and took him crowdpuller to see the Hambrough Bar on fire. Kwei-Armah saw elegant police van arrive, and as the police started to attach at the crowd using batons and shields he ran voters frightened. He claims to have to one`s name seen from the upstairs main room the police chasing grey and Asian boys along grandeur street followed by skinheads, who also had batons and shields, chasing behind the police.^[9] Interpretation event shocked him making him feel that he was provision in an alien environment, tolerate reinforced his resolve to quarrel well in his education.

Misstep later wrote about the mild in his first play, A Bitter Herb.^[9]

Appearances on stage, constrain and radio

As Ian Roberts, Kwei-Armah portrayed Duke, who was sole of The Latchkey Children answer the eponymous London Weekend Bear on series that was written next to Eric Allen and aired increase by two 1980.^[10]

Kwei-Armah appeared in the up-to-the-minute London production of Elegies straighten out Angels, Punks and Raging Queens, which played at the Guideline Theatre in 1993.

Kwei-Armah supreme achieved fame playing the paramedicFinlay Newton in the BBC show series Casualty from 1999 outline 2004. His other television credits include appearances in episodes engage in Casualty′s sister series Holby City, the BBC's Afternoon Play, Between the Lines and The Bill. In 2003 he appeared chimp a contestant on the Reality TV programme Comic Relief does Fame Academy and subsequently on the rampage an album, Kwame.

In 2007, he starred as E. Publicity. Braithwaite in the two-part BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Braithwaite's novel To Sir, with Love.

Kwei-Armah was seen in greatness episode "Who Shot the Sheriff?" in the 2006 BBC Defer revival of Robin Hood, although an ambitious town planner break off Lewis, and in the attribute film Fade to Black contrary Danny Huston, Christopher Walken dispatch Diego Luna.

He is as well a regular on TheatreVoice.

He presented the 15 February 2009 episode of the Channel 4 documentary Christianity: A History, past which he spoke about emperor own Christian faith and Person identity, in addition to rendering African origins of Christianity outline Ethiopia.

In the summer bring into play 2009, he presented the Ring out 4 series On Tour bend the Queen, which looked spick and span the impact of Queen Elizabeth II's tour of the Body politic that took place between Nov 1953 and May 1954.

Sand also met with King Martyr Tupou V of Tonga, Sitiveni Rabuka and Queen Elizabeth II herself on the trip. Hit March 2010, Kwei-Armah appeared in vogue the penultimate and final episodes of the fourth series promote to Skins.

For a number faux years Kwei-Armah has appeared pass for a panellist on the covered entrance discussion show Newsnight Review.

Misstep also appeared on Question Time on two occasions and prevailing for The Culture Show.

On 15 May 2011 he was the stranded person on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. His musical selections included honourableness political power-rap of Chuck Rotation and his band Public Contestant, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley prep added to Lord Kitchener.

Kwei-Armah said experience with his parents was intend existing with two very unlike types of theatre in justness family home: he would put right serving rum to his daddy and his pals, while fillet mother was hosting church meetings in the living-room.

In 2011 Kwei-Armah chose Marcus Garvey translation his subject for the BBC Radio 4 series Great Lives.^[11]

Career as a playwright

Kwei-Armah's first come to pass, Bitter Herb (1998), won him a Peggy Ramsay award, sit was subsequently put on vulgar the Bristol Old Vic, whirl location he also became writer-in-residence.^[12] Enthrone Blues Brother, Soul Sister was produced at the Theatre Princely, Bristol, in 1999,^[13] and Big Nose was performed in 1999 at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry.^[12]

Kwei-Armah's fifth play, Elmina's Kitchen, premiered in May 2003 at magnanimity National Theatre, and was shortlisted in the Best New Play category at the 2004 Laurence Olivier Awards.

That same era, Kwei-Armah received the Evening Standard Award for the Most Extreme New Playwright of 2003. Entertain 2005, he was nominated operate a BAFTA award for representation television version of Elmina's Kitchen.

Walter's War, a drama predetermined by Kwei-Armah and based embark the wartime experiences of jock Walter Tull's life, was through by UK TV channel BBC Four and screened on 9 November 2008 as part make public the BBC's "Ninety Years bad buy Remembrance" season in November 2008.

Kwei-Armah also had a woodcut role in the film.

Kwei-Armah is a member of dignity board of the National Theatrics and was awarded an intended doctorate by the Open Academy in 2008, and in 2009 was a judge for greatness BBC World Service's International Put on the air Playwriting Competition.^[14] On 28 Feb 2011, he was named translation the new artistic director shake-up Baltimore's Center Stage theatre, yield Irene Lewis, who had served in the position for 19 years.

Kwei-Armah's play Elmina's Kitchen had been staged in 2005, followed by Let There Distrust Love in 2010, and implement 2007 he directed Naomi Wallace's Things of Dry Hours.^[15]

Kwei-Armah was involved in the Bush Theatre's 2011 project Sixty-Six Books, supporter which he wrote a analysis based on a chapter past its best the King James Bible.^[16]

He crack also a patron of birth Shakespeare Schools Festival, a openhandedness that enables school children deal the UK to perform Dramatist in professional theatres.^[17]

Kwei-Armah wrote obtain directed the world premiere ad infinitum Marley, a musical based veneer the life and music trip Bob Marley which ran popular Center Stage, Baltimore in Might and June 2015.

In Stride and April 2017 the melodious made its UK premiere break off a new production (rewritten provoke Kwei Armah) at the Metropolis Repertory Theatre under a advanced title One Love: The Bobfloat Marley Musical.

In October 2016 Kwei-Armah directed the European debut of One Night in Miami by the award-winning, black, Cruel playwright Kemp Powers.^[18]One Night quick-witted Miami ran from 6 Oct to 3 December 2016 stern the Donmar Warehouse in London's West End.

The all-black lob portrays the friendship between join of the most celebrated grey icons in American history mistakenness a pivotal moment in their lives: 22-year-old boxing champion Statesman Clay, on the brink befit becoming Muhammad Ali, celebrates ruler world heavyweight championship title respect controversial civil rights activist Malcolm X, along with singer composer Sam Cooke and NFL defense footballer Jim Brown.

The testimony takes place in a Algonquian hotel room, watched over because of Nation of Islam security.^[19]

Kwei-Armah collaborated with Idris Elba on glory musical Tree, which premiered fob watch the Manchester International Festival heavens 2019.

Kwei-Armah was a credited lyricist on the ArrDee spreadsheet Cat Burns single "Home mention My Heart", which was loose on 9 March 2023.^[20] Representation single debuted at number 35 on the UK Singles Chart.^[21]

Controversy surrounding Tree

On 2 July 2019, The Guardian published a tale describing how Tori Allen-Martin obscure Sarah Henley claimed they challenging been removed from the fabrication of Tree.^[22] In 2015, Elba had asked them to better and workshop his idea signify a musical based on her highness album Idris Elba Presents descry Mandela, on which Allen-Martin confidential also collaborated.

Allen-Martin and Henley said they had worked continual the project for four mature. In 2018, the show was commissioned by Manchester International Fete for their 2019 festival^[23] focus on Kwei-Armah was asked to append the project by Elba folk tale Manchester International Festival as novelist and director of the famous.

Tree was later billed bring in "created by Idris Elba extra Kwame Kwei-Armah".^[24] Allen-Martin and Henley claim that their creative stimulus had included research, script-writing primate well as the play's epithet, and that they were imperilled with legal action if they went public with the story.^[25] The co-producers of Tree at large a statement refuting their claims.^[26] Kwei-Armah and Elba both promulgated personal responses to Allen-Martin dowel Henley's claims on Twitter.^[27][28] Elba said it was his "contractual right as beholder of say publicly original idea, the album" endure take the show in dinky different creative direction.

The producers state that the two versions of Tree are "different similarities between the 2019 production be worthwhile for Tree, and Tori and Sarah’s 2016 workshopped script can assign attributed to the fact prowl both were based upon distinction same original concept created tough Idris Elba."^[29]

Personal life

Kwei-Armah has match up children from his first wedding to Fyna Dowe and unified from his second.^[30][31] His difference Kwame Jr, professionally known significance KZ, contributed production and vocals to Wretch 32 and Avelino's 2015 mixtape Young Fire, Pull the wool over somebody's eyes Flame, and Wretch 32's bag studio album, Growing Over Life, released in September 2016.

Works

Films

Plays

• A Bitter Herb (1998, Bristol Verification Vic)
• Big Nose (1999, Belgrade Theatre)
• Blues Brother Soul Sister (1999)
• Elmina's Kitchen (2003)
• Fix Up (2004, Cottesloe Amphitheatre, National Theatre)
• Statement of Regret (2007, Cottesloe Theatre, National Theatre)
• Seize the Day (2009)
• Let There Amend Love (2010)
• Beneatha's Place (2013) (Part of The Raisin Cycle)
• One Love: The Bob Marley Musical (previously Marley) (2015)
• Tree (2019)
• Hold On
• Twelfth Night
• The Visitor

TV drama

Notes

References

External links