Randoulph, a convicted murderer, is in the hospital. His doctor unravels the incidents leading to the murder and his mental collapse. In flashback, we discover the reasons for his intervention in a domestic dispute which has tragic consequences." Under Their Influence "raises questions about the way blacks are perceived and treated in the mental health system.

A play collection with an introduction by Afia Nkrumah and bibliography by Susan Croft Featuring five works by prominent Black and Asian playwrights. Harvest by Manjula Padmanabhan | Under their Influence by Wayne Buchanan | Calcutta Kosher by Shelley Silas | Made in England by Parv Bancil | Brother to Brother by Michael McMillan These five plays in this collection each give us a glimpse of a different world - from the poverty of a Bombay tenement in Harvest by Manjula Padmanabhan to the world of rock and pop in Made in England by Parv Bancil, from the fading grandeur of former wealth in Calcutta Kosher by Shelley Silas to the inside of a mental institution in Under their Influence by Wayne Buchanan and many voices collide in the tales from the city in Brother to Brother by Michael McMillan. Some of these plays have been commended by critics and won awards, going on tour nationally. A few have been broadcast or adapted for film. By publishing these texts, we aim to inspire further productions, perhaps in venues where little or no work by black and Asian writers has previously been performed. In addition, the book includes a unique list of published plays by black and Asian writers, compiled by Susan Croft, so that those looking for plays to study or perform can access the considerable body of work that now exists in libraries, bookshops and archives.