Image Text:

LEADING FIGURE: Kwame Kwei-Armah

THE ROLE played by African-Caribbean actors in Britain's theatre history has been highlighted in a new documentary produced by young people from Birmingham and London.

Margins To Mainstream: The Story of Black Theatre In Britain shows the triumphs and struggles through interviews and unseen footage.

The hour-long film features black actors, producers and playwrights who have contributed to the development of British theatre such as actor, playwright and broadcaster Kwame Kwei-Armah, playwright Courttia Newland, and director Patricia Cumper.

It has been produced as part of a youth project, helping those taking part to develop skills in media and filmmaking.

The documentary was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Notting Hill Methodist Church, and led by the Octavia Foundation in London, and Nu Century Arts in Birmingham.

Gabrielle Tierney, head of community initiatives at the Octavia Foundation, said: “Our young filmmakers are always looking for new opportunities to train and flex their media muscles. We have a history of supporting talented young people to tell untold stories, and the story of black theatre in Britain is most certainly a hidden gem.”