This October, Black History Month celebrates its theme Reclaiming Narratives. We’ve reached out to Black performers and creatives in the theatre industry to share their inspirations and journeys to the stage, and today we’re chatting to Anne Odeke.
Anne is a writer, actor, and qualified secondary school drama teacher. Her newest play, Princess Essex (in which she also starred) played at Shakespeare’s Globe this summer. Her other plays have been performed at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, Storyhouse Chester and the Bush Theatre, with commissions from HighTide and BBC Radio 4. She is also part of the Orange Tree Theatre’s Writers Collective.
Who are your inspirations?
The women in my family: in particular, my mum. She’s one of seven children – there are four sisters – all of whom are funny, clever, kind, strong, opinionated and unapologetic by nature, meaning I’ve grown up with the most incredible role models.
How did you get into theatre?
I got into theatre a bit later in life than most other people. At 26 I did a MA at Mountview, but prior to that I was a secondary school drama teacher for five years. To be honest, I was actually saving up to go travelling “to go find myself”. It was my partner who suggested that I should try for these acting schools – we met during AmDram and he knew that I loved acting, and he saw that perhaps the answer to what I was looking for was in theatre.
How did your family and friends support your career?
They’ve always known that I’ve been a performer, even when I was little. I don’t think it came as a shock to them that I found theatre – or that theatre found me. They’ve been very encouraging, always. No matter what venue I perform at or where it may be in the country, they’ve come to everything. I always feel very touched by that because I’m very aware that theatre costs. It certainly costs people financially to come and see theatre, but it also costs time – time people could be doing other things.
How does it feel to be bringing your own work to the Globe stage?
It doesn’t feel real to be honest. Even now with the play up and running, it doesn’t feel real that I’m here, or that I’m at the Globe, that I’ve put on my own play, that I’m in it… that we’re sharing the incredible story of Princess Dinubolu being the first woman of colour to enter a beauty pageant in the UK. And I pinch myself still. It’s been a very emotional journey and one of real self-discovery for myself in many respects. But I’ve loved it – every single minute of it. And I will remember it for the rest of my life.
What makes Princess Essex relevant to today’s audiences?
There are so many things! It’s a play about a woman who is trying to be herself and find herself, yet keeps coming up against the systems of class finding herself up against systems of class, race, gender – seaside politics – all of which are very much in place today.
Anne Odeke in Princess Essex at Shakespeare’s Globe. Photo by Helen Murray.
This year’s Black History Month is themed around ‘Reclaiming Narratives’. Why do you think that’s an important way of approaching Black History?
I love the word ‘reclaiming’. To me ‘reclaiming’ means ownership and the act of sharing. It’s so important to celebrate the reclaiming of narratives during Black History Month because it allows us to shine a light on people of colour whose narratives have been lost or hidden in the shadows. It allows us to give them the voice that they should have gotten a chance to use oh so many years ago, a voice that still hits hard and hits true with so many people – particularly people of colour in today’s society.
How do you feel the theatre industry can support black creatives?
For me, I would love to see the theatre industry hiring many, many more Black playwrights. To me, playwrights are the unsung heroes and foundation of our industry. They are the ones whose narratives, actors and audiences get to share in. But if we only ever allow a certain amount of playwrights of colour to come to the table, or to be allowed through the door, then it means we’re only ever going to have a handful of stories. Plus, we know that Black narratives sell. We know that Black audiences will come. So there’s no excuse anymore.
What advice would you give to young black creatives dreaming of working in the industry?
Best piece of advice I could give is that, on any job I ever do, I ask myself: what is it that I’m meant to take away from this job? What is it that I’m meant to learn? Sometimes that can be about my craft. Sometimes it can be about me as a person, and anything I learn I take with me to the next job, meaning I am forever growing as an artist.
Princess Essex played at Shakespeare’s Globe until Saturday 26 October. Find out more about upcoming shows at the Globe, including All’s Well That Ends Well, Hansel and Gretel and Cymbeline, via their website.