|
Moon On A Rainbow Shawl
''Moon on a Rainbow Shawl'' is a 1957 play written by Trinidadian actor-playwright Errol John. Described as "ground-breaking" and "a breakthrough in Britain for black writing," the play has been produced and revived worldwide since its premiere at London's Royal Court Theatre. It won the 1957 London ''Observer'' playwriting competition. Plot summary Set in Port of Spain, Trinidad, the play opens on a hot, late evening in the yard of two dilapidated buildings. Ephraim is just returning from his work as a trolleybus conductor, and converses with Esther Adams, left home alone with her newborn brother. Esther, a very intelligent and studious girl, discusses how her family cannot afford for her to go to high school. Ephraim, secretly envious of her youth and opportunity to make a better life for herself than he has, encourages her. Esther's mother, Sophia comes home. Later, while Ephraim is sleeping, Rosa, Ephraim's lover, returns to the yard with their landowner and her employe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Port Of Spain
Port of Spain ( ; Trinidadian and Tobagonian English, Trinidadian English: ''Port ah Spain'' ) is the capital and chief port of Trinidad and Tobago. With a municipal population of 49,867 (2017), an urban population of 81,142 and a transient daily population of 250,000, it is Trinidad and Tobago's third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, San Fernando. Port of Spain is located on the Gulf of Paria, on the northwest coast of the island of Trinidad and is part of East–West Corridor, a larger conurbation stretching from Chaguaramas, Trinidad, Chaguaramas in the west to Arima in the east with an estimated population of 600,000. The city serves primarily as a retail and administrative centre and it has been the capital of the island since 1757. It is also an important financial services centre for the Caribbean [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cicely Tyson
Cecily Louise "Cicely" Tyson (; December 19, 1924January 28, 2021) was an American actress. In a career that spanned more than seven decades, she is known for her portrayals of complex and strong-willed African American women. She received several awards including three Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and a Tony Award, as well as nominations for a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award. She was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, and the Honorary Academy Award in 2018. She garnered widespread attention and critical acclaim for her performance as a Black mother facing adversity in the drama film '' Sounder'' (1972), for which she was nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Actress and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. She also acted in films such as '' A Man Called Adam'' (1966), ''The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter'' (1968), '' The River Niger'' (1976), ''Fried Green Tomatoes'' (1991), '' Diary of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jenny Jules
Jenny Jules is an English actress. She started her acting career as a member of the youth theatre programme at the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn, London, Kilburn, London. Her career has been closely linked with the Tricycle Theatre where she has acted numerous times; her credits there include two plays by August Wilson, both directed by Paulette Randall: ''Two Trains Running'' and ''Gem of the Ocean'', ''Walk Hard'' by Abram Hill, ''Wine in the Wilderness'' by Alice Childress, the dramatic reconstruction (by Richard Norton-Taylor) of the inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, ''The Colour of Justice'', and Lynn Nottage's ''Fabulation (play), Fabulation'', directed by Indhu Rubasingham. In 1992, she won a ''Time Out'' Award for her portrayal of Mediyah in ''Pecong (play), Pecong'' at the Tricycle Theatre. That same year, she appeared with Helen Mirren on the second installment of ''Prime Suspect'' for Granada Television/ITV_Studios , ITV. Kathy Burke directed Jules in Debbie Tu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Claire Benedict
Claire Benedict (born 28 July 1951) is a British actress known for her work in classical productions on the British stage, but best known for portraying the principal character Mma Ramotswe in the continuing radio adaptations of '' The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency''. She won a '' Time Out'' Award for Best Performance for her portrayal of Sophia Adams in Errol John's '' Moon on a Rainbow Shawl'', directed by Maya Angelou. She lives in Todmorden in the Pennines. Early life Benedict was born in Antigua and began to act at Norwood Secondary School for Girls, then Kingsway Further Education College on Gray's Inn Road, London. After two years at Kingway College, she gained entrance to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). After leaving LAMDA, Benedict worked with Theatre in Education (TIE) in London then trained with the Black Theatre Workshop of Montréal. Career In her first ten years after completing her training, Benedict worked on the British stage in l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Buffong
Michael Buffong (born 1964) is an English theatre director and the Artistic Director of Talawa Theatre Company. His work is characterised by reworking stage classics delivered to high degree of detail. Buffong has been described as "one of the most influential directors of classic plays over the last two decades", in addition to being named one of ''Creative Review''s 50 Creative Leaders. In Spring 2019, Buffong was one of the judges of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Career Buffong was born in Islington, London, in 1964. He attended a director's course at Theatre Royal Stratford East and was later appointed an assistant director there. Buffong then went on to work in television and film and his credits include ''Holby City'', ''EastEnders'', ''Admin'', ''Placebo'', ''Calais Rules'', ''Doctors'', ''Casualty'' and ''Comedy Shuffle'' (BBC), ''Hollyoaks'' (Lime Pictures), ''Feeling It'' (Eye2Eye) and ''Blazed'' (Channel 4). He has also written and directed the award-winning short f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kate Kellaway
Kate Kellaway (born 15 July 1957) is an English journalist and literary critic who writes for ''The Observer''. Early life The daughter of the Australians Bill and Deborah Kellaway, she is the older sister of the journalist Lucy Kellaway. Both siblings were educated at the Camden School for Girls, where their mother was a teacher, and at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, where she read English. Professional life Following a period teaching in Zimbabwe between 1982 and 1986, she began her career in journalism at the ''Literary Review'' and became deputy to then editor Auberon Waugh around 1987. Kellaway later joined ''The Observer'', where her posts have included features writer, deputy literary editor, deputy theatre critic and children's books editor. While ''The Observer''s poetry editor, Kellaway was one of the five judges for the Booker Prize in 1995. Kellaway is married and has four sons and two step-sons. References External links Kellaway's portfolioin ''The Guardian'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly''. In December 2024, Tortoise Media acquired the paper from the Scott Trust Limited, with the transition taking place on 22 April 2025. History Origins The first issue was published on 4 December 1791 by W.S. Bourne, making ''The Observer'' the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. Believing that the paper would be a means of wealth, Bourne instead soon found himself facing debts of nearly £1,600. Though early editions purported editorial independence, Bourne attempted to cut his losses and sell the title to the government. When this failed, Bourne's brother (a wealthy businessman) made an offer to the government, which also refused to buy the paper but agreed to subsidise it in return for influence over its editori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal National Theatre
The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, adjacent to (but not part of) the Southbank Centre. The theatre was founded by Laurence Olivier in 1963 and List of Royal National Theatre Company actors, many well-known actors have since performed with it. The company was based at The Old Vic theatre in Waterloo Road, London, Waterloo until 1976. The current building is located next to the Thames in the The South Bank, South Bank area of central London. In addition to performances at the National Theatre building, it tours productions at theatres across the United Kingdom. The theatre has transferred numerous productions to Broadway and toured some as far as China, Australia and New Zealand. However, touring productions to European cities were suspended in February 2021 over concerns ab ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou's series of seven autobiographies focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, ''I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'' (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim. She became a poet and writer after a string of odd jobs during her young adulthood. These included fry cook, sex worker, nightclub performer, ''Porgy and Bess'' cast member, Southern Christian Leadership Conference coordinator, and correspondent in Egypt and Ghana during the Decolonisation of Africa, decolonization of Africa. Angelou was also an actress, writer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Almeida Theatre
The Almeida Theatre is a 325-seat producing house located on Almeida Street off Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre opened in 1980, and produces a diverse range of drama. Successful plays are often transferred to West End theatres. Building The building that now houses the theatre was originally constructed in 1837 for the newly formed Islington Literary and Scientific Society. It included a library, reading room, museum, laboratory, and a lecture theatre seating 500. The architects were the fashionable partnership of Robert Lewis Roumieu and Alexander Dick Gough. The library was sold off in 1872 and the building was disposed of in 1874 to the Wellington Club (Almeida Street then being called Wellington Street) which occupied it until 1886. In 1885 the hall was used for concerts, balls, and public meetings. The Salvation Army bought the building in 1890, renaming it the Wellington Castle Barracks (Wellington Castle Citadel from 1902). To suit the buildin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carol Douglas
Carol Douglas (born April 7, 1948) is an American singer whose hit " Doctor's Orders" (1974) was a pioneering track in the disco genre. Early life and acting career Carol Douglas was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, United States. She is the daughter of Minnie Newsome, a jazz performer who has been cited as the inspiration for the Cab Calloway classic " Minnie the Moocher"; her father was a mortician. Sam Cooke was her cousin. At 10, Douglas was a contestant and winner on the game show '' Name That Tune'' and says "'' Ebony'' followed my career for the next three years." She attended the Willard May School for professional children and afterwards the Quintanos High School for young professionals alongside Gregory Hines, Bernadette Peters, Carol Lynley, and Patty Duke. While in high school Douglas sang in a female trio named April May & June, who were signed as a management client by Little Anthony and the Imperials. She made a one-off recording in 196 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Earl Jones
Robert Earl Jones (February 3, 1910 – September 7, 2006), sometimes credited as Earl Jones, was an American actor. One of the first prominent black film stars, Jones was a living link with the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s, having worked with Langston Hughes early in his career. Jones was best known for his leading roles in films such as '' Lying Lips'' (1939) and later in his career for supporting roles in films such as ''The Sting'' (1973), '' Sleepaway Camp'', ''Trading Places'' (both 1983), '' The Cotton Club'' (1984), and ''Witness'' (1985). He was the father of actor James Earl Jones. Biography Early life Jones was born in northwestern Mississippi; the specific location is unclear as some sources indicate Senatobia, while others suggest nearby Coldwater. A son of Robert and Elnora Jones, Robert Earl Jones left school at an early age to work as a sharecropper to help his family. He later became a prizefighter. Under the name "Battling Bill Stovall", he was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
