Climbing The Racial Mountain
In this second episode in the series, our hosts are joined by one of the country's leading dramatists Roy Williams OBE FRSL
Roy Williams began writing plays in 1990 and is now arguably one of the country’s leading dramatists. In 2000 he was the joint-winner of The George Devine Award and in 2001 he was awarded the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright. He was awarded an OBE for Services to Drama in the 2008 Birthday Honours List and was made a fellow of The Royal Society of Literature in 2018.
"If you're a writer, it's because you don't know how not to be one. And I think that's the best thing about me, because I don't know how not to be a writer."
Roy Williams began writing plays in 1990 and is now arguably one of the country’s leading dramatists. In 2000 he was the joint-winner of The George Devine Award and in 2001 he was awarded the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright. He was awarded an OBE for Services to Drama in the 2008 Birthday Honours List and was made a fellow of The Royal Society of Literature in 2018.
His plays include: THE FELLOWSHIP (Hampstead Theatre), GO, GIRL (Lyric Hammersmith), DEATH OF ENGLAND (Dorfman Theatre, National Theatre), DEATH OF ENGLAND: DELROY (Olivier Theatre, National Theatre) both co-written with Clint Dyer, SUCKER PUNCH (Royal Court Theatre, nominated for Olivier Award for Best Play), DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE (RSC), FALLOUT (Royal Court Theatre), SING YER HEART OUT FOR THE LADS (NT), CLUBLAND (Royal Court Theatre), LIFT OFF (Royal Court) , STARSTRUCK (Tricycle, Winner of John Whiting Award, Alfred Fagon Award & EMMA Award for Best Play),
His work for screen includes the BAFTA nominated DEATH OF ENGLAND: FACE TO FACE (co-written with Clint Dyer for Sabel Productions/National Theatre/Sky Arts), BAFTA nominated SOON GONE: A Windrush Chronicle (Douglas Road Productions/BBC4), FALLOUT (Company Pictures/ Channel 4, Screen Nation Award for Achievement in Screenwriting), OFFSIDE (BBC, Winner of BAFTA Children’s Film & TV Award for Best Schools Drama) and BABYFATHER (BBC). For Film he has co-written FAST GIRLS (DJ Films).
For radio, his work includes adaptations of ER Braithwaite’s A CHOICE OF STRAWS and TO SIR WITH LOVE and John Wyndham’s THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS as well as original plays TELL TALE and HOMEBOYS. He has also created and written eight series of INTERROGATION for BBC Radio 4.
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