'Welcome. Welcome to Bristol in 1963. Welcome to Waterloo Bridge in 2016. Welcome to a house in May 2017. Welcome to three couples and what might be, what once was and what could have been in 2017. Welcome to a West Indian household in 2018. Welcome to London in 2018. Welcome to the past, present and - crucially - the future.' This anthology brings together six plays, all written or performed since 2017, by six brilliant Black British writers - Travis Alabanza, Firdos Ali, Natasha Gordon, Arinze Kene, Chinonyerem Odimba and debbie tucker green. The plays demonstrate a rich range of settings, forms, styles, locations, scales, contents and concerns - and explore themes including politics and protest, grief and colonisation, relationships and gender. They have been seen on stages including the National Theatre, the Royal Court, the Bush and Bristol Old Vic, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in the West End, and on tour of the UK. Selected and introduced by leading theatre director Natalie Ibu, Contemporary Plays by Black British Writers celebrates a multiplicity of stories authored by Black playwrights in the UK over the last decade.

'Here is the city that we live in Notice that the city that we live in is alive Analyse our city and you'll find that our city even has bodily features Our city's organs function like any living creature Our city is a living creature And if you're wise enough, you'll know not all of us are blood cells... Some of us are viruses.' An epic, lyrical journey through the pulsating heart and underground soul of inner-city London. Misty is an inventive blend of gig theatre, spoken word, live art and direct address, confronting the assumptions and expectations underpinning the act of telling a story. The play premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2018, performed by the author and directed by Omar Elerian. It transferred to the Trafalgar Studios in the West End in September 2018. Misty won Best Performance Piece at the 2019 Off-West End Awards. 'Kene has a thrilling flair for language' The Times on good dog 'One of Britain's most exciting young playwrights' Guardian

Two plays, both set in contemporary inner-city London, showcasing the remarkable poetic and theatrical imagination of writer/performer Arinze Kene. Little Baby Jesus is a lyrical triptych of three intertwining, colliding monologues about the life-changing moments when three young people 'grew up'. Joanne is dipped in rudeness, rolled in attitude and is fighting to keep her life afloat. Sensitive and mature he may be, yet Kehinde struggles with an obsession for mixed-race girls as he eyes his place on the social ladder. Rugrat is the class clown and playground loudmouth, and just wants to make it past GCSEs. Estate Walls is the story of Obi, a young writer who dreams of leaving his estate, but with bad boys Myles and Cain for best friends, there are bound to be setbacks... Both plays premiered at Ovalhouse Theatre in south London, directed by Che Walker, with Estate Walls winning Arinze the Most Promising Playwright at the Offies (Off West End Theatre Awards) in 2011. Little Baby Jesus was revived at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, in 2019, directed by winner of the JMK Young Director Award Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu.

'Everyone gets what they deserve, they have to...' It's in the window of Sam's, behind the rusty display. Two wheels, shiny body, handlebars ready to be gripped. Mum's promised him that bike, so even when school or homelife bites, he knows to keep his chin up, his head down and his shirt clean. No harsh word, no sudden push to the ground, will distract him from growing up to be a good man. Set during the early noughties, Arinze Kene's good dog is a theatrical monologue that chronicles growing up in a multicultural community, and the everyday injustices that drive people to take back control. Because even the most patient among us can't wait forever. Delicately observed and fearlessly told, good dog was first produced by tiata fahodzi in association with Watford Palace Theatre in spring 2017. 'One of Britain's most exciting young playwrights' Guardian