Ony Uhiara is a woman of many faces. Best known for playing Adele in the BBC sitcom The Crouches, Uhiara has a glowing theatre career and was identified as a “gifted young theatre performer” by the Guardian theatre critic and blogger Lyn Gardner as early as 2006.

In her second and final report on the Sheffield Doc/Fest, filmmaker Veronica McKenzie meets up with two inspiring Kenyan women filmmakers to discuss their groundbreaking documentary Truck Mama on the elusive woman who drives a truck in South Africa on a notoriously dangerous route.

Wasafiri, the Magazine of International Contemporary Writing, is delighted to launch its one-off student issue, New Generations, at Keats House as part of our 30th anniversary celebrations this year. Join acclaimed poet Daljit Nagra and some of the UK’s best writers reading alongside London’s brightest new voices. Over six months from October 2013 in conjunction… Continue reading Wasafiri’s 30th anniversary event

Step Change is a national programme by the National Theatre for professionals seeking to progress and develop their careers in the management of the performing arts, supporting those in need of a change of direction. With a focus on producing and management roles, Step Change expands the range of opportunities for those wanting to make… Continue reading Step Change Programme

Drifting in and out of love: Ako Mitchell (Klook) and Sheila Atim (Vinette). Photo credit Arnim Friess. Play: Klook’s Last Stand Theatre: Park Theatre Playwright: Ché Walker Director: Ché Walker Review by Natalie Gormally Park Theatre’s intimate 90-seat studio space plays host to writer-director Ché Walker’s powerful new musical drama Klook’s Last Stand. Set in… Continue reading Klook’s Last Stand

Noma Dumezweni is a chameleon. From New York to Cuba, from Nigeria to South Africa, her ability to play with accents and reflect different cultural experiences, both past and present, is impressive. The Olivier Award winner for her role in the Young Vic production of the American classic A Raisin in the Sun, has acted… Continue reading Interview with Noma Dumezweni

Screenwriter (Coronation Street, Nine Nights) and documentary filmmaker (Under Your Nose) Veronica McKenzie attended the Sheffield Doc/Fest for Words of Colour Productions to see what was happening for black and minority ethnic filmmakers. Amid some fascinating work and great panel discussions, filmmakers of colour were thin on the ground.

On Saturday 14 June 2014 at 11.30am, a weekly 30 minute dynamic lifestyle and entertainment show called What’s Up will debut on Sky 1 with two young black anchors. Far from being a ‘new’ show, What’s Up has been going for over eight years, as a training initiative aimed at diverse audiences and made by… Continue reading What’s Up launches on Sky 1

After a 10 year hiatus, Amma Asante is back with a bang with her highly praised film Belle, about the 18th century mixed race aristocrat Dido Elizabeth Belle Lindsay. Originally trained as an actor when young, Asante appeared in well known TV dramas such as Grange Hill, Desmond’s and Birds of a Feather. In her… Continue reading Interview with Amma Asante

Film: Belle Director: Amma Asante Screenplay: Misan Sagay Producer: Damian Jones Distributed by: Twentieth Century Fox Review by Joy Francis Ten years after her BAFTA award-winning debut A Way of Life, Amma Asante unveils Belle, an assured, lavish and beautiful costume drama exploring familiar themes of politics, race, class and identity through the eyes of… Continue reading Belle