Roy Williams – författare

Two plays by a young British playwright who is fast making a name for himself. Williams is winner of the 1998-99 John Whiting Award for Best New Play and 1998 Alfred Fagon Award (both for Starstruck) and 1996 TAPS Writer of the Year Award Starstruck: When Hollywood heartthrob Stewart Granger lands in Kingston to shoot his latest movie, the whole town goes crazy. Will Dennis become a star or does girlfriend Pammy have other ambitions? And will Gravel's new money-making scheme leave his wife seeking comfort elsewhere? The No Boys Cricket Club: Coping alone with her troublesome family and warring neighbours in a drab London council estate, Abi has long since lost sight of the good things in life - until an old friend takes her back to her glorious past in Jamaica as the greatest all-rounder of the all-female No Boys Cricket Club.

A new play by the award-winning writer, which premiered at the Birmingham Rep in 2000 and transferred to London's Tricycle theatre "Yu gwan on about love, you can't even si love when it right under yer nose"Since their childhood, when Heather left Jamaica to start a new life in England, her half-sister Bernice always claimed to have 'the gift' of raising spirits from the dead. Thirty years later, when Heather returns to the island after the murder of her much-loved son, she offers Bernice the deeds to the family house - if she can bring him back..."Roy Williams shows himself to be a sassy, sophisticated diviner of the human heart" (Evening Standard)

A new play from the award-winning playwright, published to coincide with its premiere at the Royal Court on 15 June 2001 Although Ben is married to Denise he's still on the pull, Kenny's looking for someone who's "right", Ade's with Sandra but playing the field, and Nate's a proud new father. Clubland is Roy Williams' hilarious new comedy of sexual politics in south London."A young writer who may well have enough wit and insight to succeed Mustapha Matura as our leading black dramatist" - Benedict Nightingale, The Times"Williams, a young, prolific and successful black British writer...certainly has a gift" - Sunday Times

The first collection of plays by the multi-award winning playwright and winner of the 2001 "Most Promising Playwright" Evening Standard Theatre Award THE NO BOYS CRICKET CLUB (1996): Living alone on a drab London council estate, Abi has long since lost sight of the good things in life, until an old friend takes her back to her glorious past in Jamaica as the greatest all-rounder of the No Boys Cricket Club. STARSTRUCK (1997): is a hilarious and moving snapshot of the hopes and broken dreams of a family in the Caribbean at a time when Hollywood heart-throb Stewart Granger lands in Kingston to shoot his latest movie. It was the winner of the John Whiting Award and the Alfred Fagon award (1997). LIFT OFF (1999): When old time school friends Mal and Tone begin to break their lifelong friendship, bitter prejudices are brought to the fore. Joint-winner of the George Devine Award 2000. "Williams' writing snaps and crackles, his characters burst with life, emotion and contradiction" Guardian "Williams, a young, prolific and successful black British writer...certainly has a gift" Sunday Times "Roy Williams shows himself to be a sassy, sophisticated diviner of the human heart" Evening Standard

The new play by Roy Williams, winner of the Evening Standard's Most Promising Playwright Award, 2001 A boy is found dead. D.C. Joe Stephens must return to his old neighbourhood to investigate. Shanice was the last person to see him, and studiously avoids his enquiries into her boyfriend Emile's gang of friends. Meanwhile Shanice's best friend Ronnie saw something that she swears she will never tell. But when a GBP30K reward is offered and Ibiza beckons, the girls and boys face the biggest test of street loyalty in their young lives. FALLOUT provides a terrifying insight into a council estate faced with a gang murder of a kind all too familiar in our inner cities.Praise for Roy Williams' work: "Williams' writing snaps and crackles, his characters burst with life, emotion and contradiction" - Guardian; "Roy Williams shows himself to be a sassy, sophisticated diviner of the human heart" - Evening Standard

Second collection of plays by the award-winning young British playwright Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads: Tensions erupt in a South London pub as England lose against Germany at football Clubland: Ben is married to Denise but on the pull, Kenny's looking for someone who's "right", Ade's with Sandra but playing the field and Nate's a proud father, in this urban drama of race and sexual politics in West London. The Gift: Since her childhood, when she left Jamaica for England, Heather's sister has claimed to have the gift of raising spirits from the dead. When her son is murdered, Heather returns to Jamaica and begs her sister to bring him back to life.Winner of the Evening Standard's Most Promising Playwright Award, 2001 - shortlisted for Best Play Award 2003 "Williams' writing snaps and crackles, his characters burst with life, emotion and contradiction" Guardian "Roy Williams shows himself to be a sassy, sophisticated diviner of the human heart" Evening Standard

Kev is just out of the Young Offenders Institute and is determined to keep his nose clean, but back on the streets the pressure is mounting...

Saturday 7 October 2000. England v Germany, The King George v The Duke of York. Keegan resigns and Barry plays a blinder. Tensions erupt in a South London pub as England lose again. First produced at the National Theatre in 2002, Sing Yer Hearts Out for the Lads became a controversial classic exploring racial tension against the backdrop of an England football match watched in a south London pub. The play highlights how a surface acceptance of racial differences is easily destoryed leading to violent escalation and the polarisation of racial groups.

Written in response to Much Ado About Nothing and performed by Dominic Cooke's Pericles and The Winter's Tale Company, Roy Williams' Days of Significance is set in market-town England and the deserts of Iraq. Two young soldiers join their friends to binge drink the night before they leave for active service. Their complex love lives and mortal fears directly impact on their tour of duty. Roy Williams looks at how the naive and malformed moral codes of these young men have catastrophic reverberations for the West's moral authority.

Celebrating 50 years of Theatre CentreEdited and Introduced by Rosamunde HuttForeword by Pam St. ClementListen To Your Parents by Benjamin Zephaniah | Precious by Angela Turvey | Look At Me by Anna Reynolds | Gorgeous by Anna Furse | Glow by Manjinder Virk | Souls by Roy WilliamsA challenging and culturally diverse collection of new plays by some of the UK's foremost writers. dealing with topics such as domestic violence, eating disorders, mother/daughter relationships and sibling rivalry, written by some of Britain's foremost writers.Beautifully written and tested in performance, these plays which deal with topics such as domestic violence, eating disorders, mother/daughter relationships and sibling rivalry, will become essential texts for theatres, schools, colleges and youth centres.

I can’t get out of bed without groaning or feel summin inside of me is creaking… We’re too old for this shit. In a pub in South London ‘The Firm’ reunite for the first time in twelve years. Back in their misspent youth they were a notorious criminal gang; these days they’re older, wiser, and their lives have changed beyond recognition. But when an uninvited guest turns up to the party with an intriguing proposition and an explosive secret it’s clear they might be tempted to try their hands at one last job. Will they escape their past unscathed?Roy Williams’ gripping new play is a tale of growing up, lifelong loyalties and how sometimes, it is possible to choose your own family. Published to coincide with the premiere at the Hampstead Theatre Downstairs in Autumn 2017.

He wanted you to be a better man. He wanted to be a better man himself. He was lied to. Just like you are being lied to. A family in mourning. A man in crisisAfter the death of his dad, Michael is powerless and angry.In a state of heartbreak, he confronts the difficult truths about his father’s legacy and the country that shaped him. At the funeral, unannounced and unprepared, Michael decides it is time to speak.Death of England is a powerful new monologue play by Roy Williams and Clint Dyer that explores family feelings and a country on the brink. This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at the National Theatre, London, in 2020.

Me jumping out of the van, was the beginning of a very bad day for me. I just didn’t know it, but I was going to know it, in about four minutes, I was going to know, fer trut.2020. Delroy is arrested on his way to the hospital.Filled with anger and grief, he recalls the moments and relationships that gave him hope before his life was irrevocably changed.Written in response to their play Death of England, Death of England: Delroy is a new standalone work by Clint Dyer and Roy Williams, which follows a Black working-class man searching for truth and confronting his relationship withWhite Britain.This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere of Death of England: Delroy, at the National Theatre in 2020. The production was the first play to reopen the theatre following the Coronavirus pandemic.

A fierce and excoriating portrait of British racism, Roy William's Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads premiered in 2002 at the National Theatre.Set in a south-west London pub during the 2000 England vs. Germany match, tempers are running high. As England lose again, their supporters in The King George lose it too – at full time, patriotism has become unapologetic racism.This Methuen Drama Student Edition of the play includes commentary and notes by Gemma Edwards, University of Manchester, UK, which explore the production history of the play as well as the historical, social and cultural contexts that surround it, such as the rise of Nationalism and far-right groups in the UK. Also featuring an interview with Roy Williams about the play and its relevance 20 years on, this edition is a must-have resource for any student exploring Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads.

When Creon refuses to bury the body of Antigone's unruly brother, Antigone's anger quickly turns to defiance. Creon condemns her to a torturous death: she's to be buried alive.Acclaimed playwright Roy Williams takes Sophocles' play and, by placing it into a contemporary setting, brings this classic tale vividly to life.A timeless story about loyalty and truth, about how we make meaning out of life and death, and what in the end really does matter.Roy Williams's adaptation of Antigone received its world premiere at Derby Theatre, in a co-production between Pilot Theatre, Derby Theatre and Theatre Royal, Stratford East, before going on a national tour. This new, edited edition is published for the first time in Methuen Drama's Plays for Young People series, aimed at 16-18 year olds.

Three new plays from three of the UK's most celebrated playwrights. All rooted in West London, the plays explore race, identity and our sense of place and purpose, presented together as one piece, Out West. The Overseas Student by Tanika GuptaLondon. 1888. An 18-year-old Gandhi has just arrived from India to study Law. Miles from home, his wife and his family, we see him navigate a time of uncertainty, growth and opportunity. As he builds a new life, he explores the joys of money, food and women whilst facing the struggles of class and imperialism. Gupta’s sharp and profound play is an insight into the teenage years of a man we know will grow up to be one of the most significant figures in history.Blue Water and Cold and Fresh by Simon StephensLondon. 2020. A walk back in time. A walk that may change everything he’s ever believed.In the wake of city lockdown living and the Black Lives Matter protests, one man’s journey across London raises difficult truths he has to confront. The death of a loved one. His father’s racism. His own white privilege. This heartfelt piece explores what it means to be a father, husband and son.Go, Girl by Roy WilliamsLondon. 2020. Working as a security guard at Westfield and a mother to a teenage daughter, Donna sees her life as unremarkable. Why have things not turned out how she pictured when she was a young girl, inspired by the words of Michelle Obama? The hope and excitement she once felt has now become isolation and judgement of the choices she has made. Until one night Donna gets a call from her daughter that makes her rethink her entire life. As their bravery and humanity is tested, Donna realises just how remarkable they both truly are. A celebration of Black women, everyday heroism and female resilience.

Set amongst the vibrant, intense cacophony of North West London, NW Trilogy is a collection of three vivid stories, told over one performance, that remember and celebrate people who changed the course of history. The personal is political in these soulful explorations of what it means to be part of one of the most dynamic communities in the world.First, we reel to a dance hall in ‘County Kilburn’ in Moira Buffini’s Dance Floor where the Guinness flows, the music never stops and for homesick Aoife, there’s far more at stake than a dance.In Roy Williams’ bittersweet Life of Riley, Paulette is on a journey to connect with her estranged father Riley, a reggae musician once part of the influential Trojan Records scene, who can’t seem to let go of the past.And, Suhayla El-Bushra’s Waking/Walking introduces us to Anjali, a wife, mother and newly arrived migrant following Idi Amin’s expulsion of the Asian minority from Uganda, who is torn between not making a fuss and seizing her moment to take a stand as the Grunwick dispute unfolds.NW Trilogy is powerful, funny and epic and shows us how we can change the world from our doorstep.This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere as NW Trilogy at Kiln Theatre, London, in August 2021.

In his fifth collection of Plays, the work ranges from a spirited, raging drama that investigates police corruption in Jamaica through to two thrilling monologue plays written either side of the Covid-19 pandemic, first presented at London's National Theatre. The political and the personal are drawn together effectively throughout, offering a rich selection of work that showcase Williams's unique talent.Roy Williams has been described as 'one of Britain's most important playwrights' (WhatsOnStage). His career to date has seen him win the Alfred Fagon Award, the George Devine Award, the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright, a BAFTA Award and nominations for the Olivier Award for Best Play. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2008 and was made a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2018. Advice for the Young at Heart (2013) "A robust and poignant piece of theatre." - A Younger TheatreKingston 14 (2014) "Should be lauded in staging a culture not exactly over-represented in British theatre ... convincingly suggests such tensions underpin both the island’s chaotic political situation, and the wariness between the Jamaican police and the visiting Brit." - IndependentThe Firm (2018) "Williams reveals himself once more as one of the most compelling chroniclers of the complexities of masculinity in a rapidly changing world." - Arts DeskDeath of England (2020) "The most exhilarating and hair-raising drama...This is truly a play for today." - The GuardianDeath of England: Delroy (2021) " A blistering solo show sure to survive England’s second lockdown" - Variety

Where’s the glory Mum? Where’s that perfect world for us, your kids?Children of the Windrush generation, sisters Dawn and Marcia Adams grew up in 1980s London and were activists on the front line against the multiple injustices of that time. Decades on, they find they have little in common beyond family...Dawn struggles to care for their dying mother, whilst her one surviving son is drifting away from her. Meanwhile, high-flying lawyer Marcia’s affair with a married politician might be about to explode and destroy her career. Can the Adams sisters navigate the turmoil that lies ahead, leave the past behind, and seize the future with the bond between them still intact?This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere, directed by Paulette Randall at London's Hampstead Theatre, and is, by turns, an electrifying, hilarious, gripping tale set in modern Britain.

Look at it Carly, look at our dream.No one's happy Denise.There are two sides to every story.Grieving the loss of the family shop and their dreams destroyed, Denise and daughter-in-law Carly are left to pick up the pieces of their relatives’ mistakes.Will all be forgiven?Jo Martin (Doctor Who) and Hayley Squires (I, Daniel Blake) play Denise and Carly in this thought-provoking drama that explores family dynamics, race, colonialism and cancel culture.Clint Dyer (Othello) and Roy Williams (Sucker Punch) reunite to write this powerful new play, the final, standalone chapter of the award-winning Death of England series.This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at the Dorfman Theatre, National Theatre, London, in September 2023.

Unless it’s a football match… maybe then or ’em… at the supermarket… food and football, eh, the Englishman common ground Neutral territory for the masses. Yeah a place where no ideas are shared, borrowed or worked through… Perfect.Following acclaimed seasons at the National Theatre, Clint Dyer and Roy Williams’ extraordinary series of three state of the nation plays, Death of England comes to @sohoplace in the West End. These three interconnected plays are, by turns, exhilarating, profoundly moving, funny but furious, and deeply theatrical, available together in this collection. Enjoy as a standalone experience or discover the connections between two or three of the plays as Michael, Delroy, Denise and Carly navigate the joys and challenges of what it means to be British in 2024. The run starred Thomas Coombes (Baby Reindeer), Paapa Essiedu, (I May Destroy You, Gangs of London), Erin Doherty (The Crown) and Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Dune) and was directed by Clint Dyer (NT Deputy Artistic Director). The 'uniquely brilliant' (Evening Standard) Death of England trilogy is unmissable.This collection was published to coincide with the West End run of the Death of England trilogy which ran from July to September 2024 at London's @sohoplace.

Roy Williams has a deserved reputation as one of the most exciting young writers whose plays have electrified the sort of audiences most theatres rarely see: streetwise urban youth. 'His plays have brought the experience of black urban youth onto the stage' (Observer).This third collection of plays, introduced by the author, showcases the diversity, the moral probing and the fine ear for authentic dialogue characteristic of his writing: Fallout: first produced in 2003 the play focuses on the aftermath of the killing of a teenager. Slow Time was commissioned and developed by the National Theatre's Education Department and toured to London schools. Set in a young offender's institution the play depicts three young men and their fight to survive. Days of Significance was produced by the RSC in 2007 and is revived at the Tricycle Theatre, London in March 2008. It was described by the Daily Telegraph as 'the best new play of the year ...that powerfully caught the debased spirit of our times.' Absolute Beginners - a stage adaptation of the seminal novel of adolescence set in 1958 London - produced at the Lyric Hammersmith May 07: 'bags of energy and highly watchable' Daily Mail.

Joe Boateng, the 'David Beckham' of his generation, is Ghanaian. Naomi, his childhood sweetheart is British and of Jamaican parentage. With Joe's escalating celebrity status comes huge sacrifices, accusations of selling out, temptations and life changing choices. Joe Guy is a stark and powerful contemporary story exploring the historical tension and bitter prejudices existing between African and Caribbean British communities. It looks at how young descendants from Africa distance themselves from a unified urban Black Britain. This urgent examination of identity and celebrity is told in Tiata Fahodzi's renowned visceral style. This is a programme text edition published to coincide with the play's world premiere in a production by Tiata Fahodzi that opens at the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich,on 18 October before coming to Soho Theatre, London.

Five of the best plays from the first decade of the twenty-first century produced by the Royal Court Theatre, London. Royal Court Plays 2000-2010 is an essential anthology for anyone interested in the best work from the most important new writing theatre produced during the last decade. Under the Blue Sky by David Eldridge is a touching and comic play about love, war and teaching. Produced in 2000 it was revived on the West End in 2008 and has become a turn-of-the-century classic. Roy Williams' play Fallout was written in response to the killing of Damilola Taylor and the McPherson report into racism in the Metropolitan Police and is an essential play exploring how black teenagers are drawn into violence and mutual mistrust. Motortown is about the 'war on terror' and the war in Iraq. Described as 'an instant modern classic, the first major anti-anti-war play of this era' (What's on Stage) Simon Stephens' play examines the effects of the war on individuals. Mike Bartlett emerged as one of the most exciting young writers of recent times when his play My Child premiered in 2007.A play about fatherhood, broken families and what it means to be a good parent, it was heaped with praise: 'Brutal, thrilling...unmissable' (Evening Standard). The final play, Enron, is an epic satire about the notorious rise and fall of Enron and its founding partners, written by Lucy Prebble. A huge hit and acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, the play transferred to the West End in 2010 and opened on Broadway that same year.

Not Black and White comprises of three new plays which examine the state of modern day Britain from the perspective of three leading black contemporary playwrights. Roy Williams, Kwame Kwei-Armah and Bola Agbaje tackle the prison system, the mayoralty and immigration in their respective plays. Category B: Roy Williams Saul runs a tip-top wing - the screws love him for it, especially Angela. Prisoners follow his rules, and it's all gravy. But Saul's number two position is vacant, new inmates are flooding in, so everyone's feeling the heat. No-one wants to go to Cat B, but the world on the outside is a different story. Seize the Day: Kwame Kwei-Armah Jeremy Charles could be London's first black mayor. He has the face to represent it - a well-spoken, good-looking Londoner, with an appetite for change. He's sold his pitch on reality TV, but can he be the real people's candidate? Detaining Justice: Bola Agbaje Justice is locked in a cold dark cell, his asylum application pending. His sister Grace would like to help, but has been told to leave it in God's hands.Crown Prosecutor Mark Cole has an infallible reputation for successful prosecutions - however he has had a change of heart - and job. His first case is for the defence of Justice - but, in his new role, is Cole the man to help? Published to coincide with the Not Black and White season at the Tricycle, where the three dramas played in rep Oct 8 -Dec 19 2009.

The Methuen Drama Book of Plays by Black British Writers provides an essential anthology of six of the key plays that have shaped the trajectory of British black theatre from the late-1970s to the present day. In doing so it charts the journey from specialist black theatre companies to the mainstream, including West End success, while providing a cultural and racial barometer for Britain during the last forty years.It opens with Mustapha Matura's 1979 play Welcome Home Jacko which in its depiction of a group of young unemployed West Indians was one of the first to explore issues of youth culture, identity and racial and cultural identification. Jackie Kay's Chiaroscuro examines debates about the politics of black, mixed race and lesbian identities in 1980s Britain, and from the 1990s Winsome Pinnock's Talking in Tongues engages with the politics of feminism to explore issues of black women's identity in Britian and Jamaica. From the first decade of the twenty-first century the three plays include Roy Williams' seminal pub-drama Sing Yer Hearts Out for the Lads, exploring racism and identity against the backdrop of the World Cup; Kwame Kwei-Armah's National Theatre play of 2004, Fix Up, about black cultural history and progress in modern Britain, and finally Bola Agbage's terrific 2007 debut, Gone Too Far!, which examines questions of identity and tensions between Africans and Caribbeans living in Britain. Edited by Lynnette Goddard, this important anthology provides an essential introduction to the last forty years of British black theatre.

‘[Williams’s] plays have brought the experience of black urban youth onto the stage' ObserverSucker Punch: 'As usual with Williams, the dialogue is crisp and bespoke: motives are mixed, nobody is a hero, nothing is just black and white.' The TimesJoe Guy: ‘Williams's dialogue ricochets around the stage like gunfire . . . energetic, exciting and entertaining.’ StageCategory B: ‘Category B is a harrowing play, but one shot through with both dark humour and tentative flickers of hope’. Daily TelegraphBaby Girl: ‘The shocking thing about Roy Williams's Baby Girl is that it argues that there is a cyclical pattern to teenage pregnancy . . . Williams paints a rivetingly plausible picture of a world in which mothers and daughters are sexual rivals, ‘virgin’ is the ultimate peer insult and the school gates are a fertile hunting ground for male predators.’ GuardianThere’s Only One Wayne Matthews: 'Williams's writing is punchy . . . Wayne's gradual understanding of the realities of the world make this a touching coming-of-age drama.' Guardian