Blacklisted Conversations

Gershwyn Eustache Jrnr stars in 'Small Island' as 'Gilbert'. TBB Talks to the actor to find out how important being a part of this production is to him... 

Gershwyn Eustache Jnr takes on a leading role in the National Theatre's production of Small Island.

Adapted from Andrea Levy's Orange Prize Winning novel Small Island follows the journey Jamaica to Britain, through the Second World War to 1948 – the year the HMT Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury.

Adapted for the stage by Helen Edmundson, Small Island follows three intricately connected stories. Hortense yearns for a new life away from rural Jamaica, Gilbert dreams of becoming a lawyer, and Queenie longs to escape her Lincolnshire roots. Hope and humanity meet stubborn reality as the play traces the tangled history of Jamaica and the UK.

Small Island runs at the National Theatre until 10th August 2019. Find out more: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/small-island

Image by - Brinkhoff-Moegenburg

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Rising star Leah Harvey takes a leading role in the National Theatre's production of 'Small Island' as 'Hortense'. TBB Talks to her to discover how she approached developing the character ...

Adapted from Andrea Levy's Orange Prize Winning novel Small Island follows the journey Jamaica to Britain, through the Second World War to 1948 – the year the HMT Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury.

Adapted for the stage by Helen Edmundson, Small Island follows three intricately connected stories. 

Hortense yearns for a new life away from rural Jamaica, Gilbert dreams of becoming a lawyer, and Queenie longs to escape her Lincolnshire roots. Hope and humanity meet stubborn reality as the play traces the tangled history of Jamaica and the UK.

Small Island runs at the National Theatre until 10th August 2019. Find out more: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/small-island

Photo by Brinkhoff-Moegenburg

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TBB Talks to Reece Noi about his Initial reluctance to take a role in Ava DuVernay's Central Park Five Netflix series 'When They See Us' .

When They See Us (originally Central Park Five) is a 2019 American drama web television miniseries created, co-written, and directed by Ava DuVernay for Netflix.

Premiering on May 31, 2019 When They See Us is based on the true story of the Central Park jogger case from 1989 which resulted in five teenagers - four African-American - Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise and one Latino, Raymond Santana convicted of a rape they did not commit. 

After the five spent between 6 and 13 years in prison, in 2002, Matias Reyes, a convicted murderer, and serial rapist, confessed to raping the jogger. Resulting in their exoneration and a $41million settlement. 

British actor Reece Noi (Waterloo Road, Game of Thrones) was headhunted by DuVernay herself to join the cast of When They See Us eventually landing the role of Matias Reyes. 

When They See Us is on Netflix now

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Martina Laird returns to the stage as 'Ruby' in August Wilson's play King Hedley II. Directed by Stratford East Artistic Director Nadia Fall (The Village), King Hedley II follows one man's quest for redemption after being released from prison and features Lenny Henry in his Stratford East debut as smooth-talking hustler 'Elmore'.  

Her stage credits include Shebeen (Nottingham Playhouse/Theatre Royal Stratford East); Shakespeare Trilogy (Donmar Warehouse); Moon on a Rainbow Shawl (National Theatre/Talawa Theatre Company). Her television credits include EastEnders, Blitz, Casualty, The Bay, Epiphany, Jericho, The Dumping Ground, London’s Burning, Shameless, The Bill and Peak Practice.

King Hedley II is set in 1985 and forms part of Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle, a series of plays that documents the African American experience in each decade of the 20th century. Other works in the Pittsburgh Cycle include Fences (adapted into a film starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis) and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. 

Alongside Sir Lenny, Laird shares the stage with Aaron Pierre (Krypton) and Cherrelle Skeete (Fun Home, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child).
We caught up with her to find out more about Ruby and the importance of August Wilson's work...

King Hedley II runs at the Royal Theatre Stratford East until Sunday 15th June 2019. Find out more and book tickets: https://www.stratfordeast.com/whats-on/all-shows/king-hedley-ii

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Is this your King!?!

So.... sheesh a lot happened. 

The Night King's dead. Arya came with the slick swiftness. The End.

TBB Talks & Everyday Fro Day break it down.

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TBB Talks to Cherrelle Skeete about her current role in King Hedley II

Actress Cherrelle Skeete's acting CV includes A Small Place (Gate Theatre) and Fun Home (Young Vic). In 2017 Skeete played Rose Granger-Weasley in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace Theatre) in a groundbreaking colourblind casting move. She has also starred in popular TV shows including Doctors, Call the Midwife and Lenny Henry's autobiographical TV film Danny and the Human Zoo. 

If that wasn't enough Skeete also co-founded Blacktress UK, a networking group for black women actors of the African diaspora. The collective just enjoyed a run of productions at the Tristan Bates Theatre.

If that wasn't enough Skeete also co-founded Blacktress UK, a network group for black women actors of the African diaspora. The collective just enjoyed a run of productions at the Tristan Bates Theatre.

King Hedley II is set in 1985 and forms part of African American playwright August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle, a series of plays that documents the African American experience in each decade of the 20th century. Other works in the Pittsburgh Cycle include Fences (adapted into a film starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis) and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. This is a rare opportunity to see one of America's most prolific writers on a British stage - so don't miss out. 

King Hedley II runs at Stratford East Theatre until Saturday 15th June 2019

https://www.stratfordeast.com/whats-on/all-shows/king-hedley-ii

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This April 28th Emma Thomas was awarded the BAFTA Television Craft Special Award for her services a script supervisor. TBB Talks was honoured to catch up with a legend in the craft field.

A script supervisor is an important person in the process of taking a project from set to the small or big screen. Thomas has a slew of acclaimed television series and films on her cv which prove her BAFTA award worthy!

Her CV includes Films - Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) and TV shows Goodnight Sweetheart (1993-95), Birds of a Feather (1989-98), Benidorm (2007), Bad Education (2012), Luther (2010-11) and The Bill (2008). she has also worked on a raft of high end International TV shows including The Bastard Executioner (2015), Tyrant (2016) and Guerrilla (2017).  

Most recently Thomas was the script supervisor on Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle (2019) for BBC Four, a series of monologues that reveal the hopes, desires, achievements, shattered dreams and broken promises of a single fictionalised family over four generations. 

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Though he's branching out into the filmmaker realm with his recently completed short film Run, starring Game of Thrones' Nathalie Emmanuel, Alex Lanipekun finds himself back on our screens in Sky Atlantic thriller series, Riviera.

Picking up from where season 1 left off, Lanipekun plays Raafi, husband of 'the impossibly stylish' Daphne (Poppy Delevingne). They've both sailed to the shores of the Cote d'Azur along with Daphne's mother Lady Cassandra Eltham and brother Nico (Jack Fox). The Elthams come with secrets of their own. 

With a CV boasting credits on stage, and screen starring in well-rated shows including Spooks (BBC), 24: Live Another Day (Sky 1), and Homeland (Channel 4) and acclaimed stage productions - Wig Out (Royal Court) and Hamlet (National Theatre). Along with Radio plays including a serial written by playwright Roy Williams OBE Interrogation (BBC Radio 4) Lanipekun is a highly sought after creative.

Riviera season 2 begins on Sky Atlantic 9pm Thursday 23rd May 2019

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TBB Talks to Mikey J production composer and co-founder of Boy Blue about its journey, its future and the plans he and production choreographer and co-founder Kenrick 'H20' Sandy OBE have for its future.

After their annual appearance at this year’s Breakin’ Convention (the UK’s biggest celebration of Hip Hop dance and culture) and taking their Olivier Award-winning production Blak Whyte Gray to the Norfolk & Norwich arts festival Boy Blue are setting the benchmark for Hip Hop dance. 

Founded in 2001, Boy Blue create works that challenge common perception whilst delivering a new voice from the streets and clubs that have long inspired a generation. As well as performing across the world, the company’s work has been seen in the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, and their work Emancipation of Expressionism is a set work of AQA GCSE Dance syllabus – the first hip-hop dance theatre piece to be included, which was recently filmed by Danny Boyle and screened on BBC 2. 

Keep up to date with Boy Blue events and news here: http://boyblueent.com

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With Belle, and a United Kingdom under her belt, Amma Asante returns with her latest project Where Hands Touch, which tells the overlooked story of the mixed children born during the Nazi regime.

Amma Asante started out in front of the screen in the UK cult kids' series Grange Hill. Quickly realising that being an actress wasn't her forte, Asante forged a career behind the camera. 

Taking up space in a position usually reserved for men, Asante is one of the very few women directors who dare to challenge the norm. As a filmmaker who refuses to toe the line of expectation of the stories she should be telling, as a woman and especially as a Black woman, Asante's narratives, stoke conversation, and some would say, discomfort. 

Based on true accounts, Where Hands Touch dares to explore their journey. 

What happens when teenagers mixed race Lena(Amandla Stenberg)born of an African father and German mother and German Lutz (George MacKay)a member of the Hitler Youth and the son of a high ranking SS officer fall in love? 

Where Hands Touch is in UK cinemas from Friday 10th May

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