{"product_id":"trailblazers-of-black-british-theatre-stephen-bourne-9781803999234","title":"Trailblazers of Black British Theatre: From IRA Aldridge to Cleo Laine","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Stephen Bourne is a hero of our history' \u003c\/b\u003eBooker Prize-winner Bernardine Evaristo\u003cb\u003e \u003cbr\u003e 'I love Stephen's books because he gives voice to real people' \u003c\/b\u003eJhalak Prize-winner Patrice Lawrence \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e In \u003ci\u003eDeep Are the Roots\u003c\/i\u003e, Stephen Bourne celebrates the pioneers of Black British theatre, beginning in 1825, when Ira Aldridge made history as the first Black actor to play Shakespeare's Othello in the United Kingdom, and ending in 1975 with the success of Britain's first Black-led theatre company. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e In addition to providing a long-overdue critique of Laurence Olivier's Othello, too-often cited as the zenith of the role, Bourne has unearthed the forgotten story of Paul Molyneaux, a Shakespearean actor of the Victorian era. The twentieth-century trailblazers include Paul Robeson, Florence Mills, Elisabeth Welch, Buddy Bradley, Gordon Heath, Edric Connor and Pearl Connor-Mogotsi, all of them active in Great Britain, though some first found fame in the United States or the Caribbean. Then there are the groundbreaking works of playwrights Barry Reckord and Errol John at the Royal Court; the first Black drama school students; pioneering theatre companies; and three influential dramatists of the 1970s: Mustapha Matura, Michael Abbensetts and Alfred Fagon. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Drawing on original research and interviews with leading lights, \u003ci\u003eDeep Are the Roots\u003c\/i\u003e is a powerful study of theatre's Black trailblazers and their profound influence on British culture today. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Stephen Bourne\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1803999233\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781803999234\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e History Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/24\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 330\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback","brand":"Stephen Bourne","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46927907717375,"sku":"9781803999234","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_1356889f-eca4-40d7-842d-df72984870a6.jpg?v=1749373340","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/trailblazers-of-black-british-theatre-stephen-bourne-9781803999234","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}