Written and presented by Alby James
'Mislike me not for my complexion' was the plea of the dark-skinned Prince of Morocco as he wooed Portia in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and it is a plea that actors are still making today. In the wake of the announcement that London's Round House is to become a new centre for black art of all sorts, this programme takes a look at just what our coloured community is contributing to the country's dramatic riches. What does 'Black Theatre' mean?
Is it black actors in plays by black writers performed for black audiences or is it something much wider than that?
Those taking part include
Michael Abbersetts , Yvonne Brewster , James Fenton , Charlie Hanson , Naseem Khan , Mustapha Matura , Caryl Phillips ,
Hugh Quarshie , Jimi Rand and Parminder Vir
The play extracts are performed by CASSIE MCFARLANE , HUGH QUARSHIE , TREVOR THOMAS ,
RUDOLPH WALKER and ANGELA
WYNTER
Producer PENNY GOLD