National Theatre to launch That Black Theatre Podcast

In an effort to empower black voices within the arts, the National Theatre is launching That Black Theatre Podcast. Hosted by PhD Student Nadine Deller, the project will be a collaboration between The National Theatre, The Royal Central School for Speech and Drama, The University of London and the AHRC London Arts and Humanities Partnership.

Over the course of 12 weeks, Nadine will lead listeners through the National Theatre’s Black Plays Archive. Beginning with the work of Una Marson and Errol John, the podcast will chart the history of Black Theatre throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. The series will also explore the history of Civil Rights and Black Power Movements on both sides of the Atlantic.

Leading academic Lynette Goddard will debate the challenges faced by black female writers, whilst the work of Valerie Mason-John and Jackie Kay will be used to discuss the underrepresentation of queer black narratives within theatre. Other guests for the podcast will include: Debbie Tucker Green, Roy Williams, Mojisola Adebayo and Ola Ince.

When talking about the upcoming series, Nadine Deller said: "This podcast started as a way to share what I have learnt about black British theatre with as many people as I could. I never learnt about black theatre in school, so this podcast is a celebration of black British theatre and the stories I have found in the archive. Through a mix of history, interviews, and casual discussion, I hope to show that black theatre is for everyone."

That Black Theatre Podcast launches today (28 September) and will be available across all major podcast platforms. The news comes as the National Theatre prepares to open up again next month, with its production of Death of England: Delroy.

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