National Theatre’s Black Plays Archive curated by alumna Natasha Bonnelame

A PhD graduate from the Centre for Caribbean and Diaspora Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London has curated the National Theatre’s first digital archive of plays by black playwrights.

The National Theatre Bookshop has also now introduced a prominent display of books by black playwrights since the 1950s, negotiated by Natasha Bonnelame as part of her project. 

The National Theatre’s Black Plays Archive project was launched by the playwright and former NT Associate Kwame Kwei-Armah, who expressed a wish to explore and engage with African, Caribbean and black British work produced in the UK, some of which has been forgotten over time.

The Archive website - an online catalogue of the first professional production of every African, Caribbean, and black British play produced in the UK - is now online, made possible by support from Sustained Theatre and Arts Council England.

All students enrolled on Goldsmiths’ MA Black British Writing have full access to the Archives for fieldwork tasks and further research.

The development of black British theatre began in the late 1950s, with productions staged at the Royal Court by Errol John, Barry Reckord and Wole Soyinka. This paved the way for the emergence of a number of black writers and theatre companies in the 1970s and 1980s, such as Talawa Theatre, the Black Theatre Co-Operative (now NitroBEAT) and Temba.

Born in the Seychelles, Natasha Bonnelame and her family moved to London when she was 10. “I've always loved reading and remember telling my dad I wanted a job that involved working with books,” she explains.

Natasha recently completed her PhD at Goldsmiths, titled, ‘Translated Modernities: Locating the Modern Subject in Caribbean Literature’. She holds an MA in Caribbean Literature and Creole Poetics (2005), and her research interests are Caribbean Creole writing from the Francophone and Anglophone traditions and the Caribbean carnival.

“The PhD is a continuation of that desire to work with texts further. It can be quite a scary and lonely experience but the Centre for Caribbean and Diaspora Studies at Goldsmiths has an amazing local and international network and you feel cared for and supported,” Natasha adds.

“I've developed an interest in digital culture and how we can disseminate cultural information more widely through digital platforms, so in addition to working on the Black Plays Archive, I also work on the National Theatre's digital exhibitions and have just completed a 16 month project with Tate, where we provided access to Tate's collection on the Khan Academy website.”

“The NT were looking for a researcher to work on their Black Plays Archive project and approached me. I'd avoided looking at playwrights during my MA and PhD as their work was so hard to find, so initially I didn't think I was the right fit for the project.

"The project involved a range of colleagues from across the National Theatre including Digital, Archive, Learning and Broadcast teams. In addition to working with developers to create the website, I was also responsible for creating and commissioning interviews with playwrights, directors and designers.”

Black playwrights have yet to be acknowledged for the depth and breadth of their playwriting and their contributions to British theatre history. It's an amazing and underrepresented history, and this is not just a 'black story' it's part of the theatrical and cultural landscape of the UK as a whole.

"It's important that emerging playwrights, directors and theatre practitioners are aware of this history, as cultural memory can only survive if it is reproduced and academia must play a part in ensuring this happens.”

Find out more about the MA Black British Writing and read our interview with our current students

Find out more about the Centre for Caribbean and Diaspora Studies