Director Lynette Linton and writer Trish Cooke will bring their revival of Alterations by Michael Abbensetts to the Lyttelton Theatre stage this month, and have said the decision to stage a play by the Guyanese-born author, who was the first black British writer to have a series commissioned by the BBC, is overdue.
The National Theatre’s decision to stage a work by a “pioneering” and “forgotten” black British playwright should be the start of a revival of similar overlooked work from the 70s and 80s, according to the creative team behind the project.
Jeremy O Harris’s Slave Play was on in the West End, while Linton directed Benedict Lombe’s play Shifters at the Bush Theatre before it transferred to the West End, becoming only the third play by a black British woman to debut there.
National Theatre to stage major work by ‘forgotten’ black British playwright Alterations, by Michael Abbensetts, follows a Guyanese tailor as he tries to establish himself on Carnaby Street.
“There was a huge amount of black British playwrights, writers and artists all through the 70s, 80s and 90s – so it’s important that young people know that, because we’re all standing on the shoulders of each other,” said Linton, who is the artistic director of the Bush Theatre.
