You’ve got to learn how to keep it inside. We have to. The world doesn’t like us acting out. They’ll put you down any chance they get. You can’t be doing all this screaming. As siblings Shirley and Dwight bury their mother, they remember their upbringing in 1980s Chapeltown Leeds differently. In the height of racial discrimination, police brutality and poverty, the struggle for survival ripped through their family. Now as adults, they need to bring together the fractured pieces of their past in order to move forward. Zodwa Nyoni’s gripping and heartfelt drama explores the complexities and beauty of what it really means to care for one another.

A bold play collection representing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ+) experiences, from Black British perspectives, this anthology contains seven radical plays by Black writers that change the face of theatre in Britain. With an international reach connecting Africa, the Caribbean and the Diaspora, these plays address themes including same-sex love, sex, homophobia, apartheid, migration and space travel. The collection captures the historical scope and range of Black British LGBTIQ+ theatre, from the 1980s to 2021. Including a range of forms, from monologue to musicals, realist drama to club-performance, readers will journey through the development of Black Queer theatre in Britain. Through a helpful critical introduction, this book provides important socio-political and historical context, highlighting and illuminating key themes in the plays. Each play is preceded by an intergenerational 'in-conversation' piece between two Black British LGBTIQ+ artists and writers who will talk about their own work in relation to the play, looking back at the history and on into the future. Through these rare conversations with highly acclaimed award-winning practitioners, readers will also gain an insight into the theatre industry, funding, producing, venues as well as the politics of identity, the diversity of LGBTIQ+ lives and the richness of Black British cultures.

There's always a pause, between the inhale and the first word. The room is silent. Butterflies collide. The words begin to rise up inside of you; Metaphors and similes contort like question marks. Your mouth unhinges, You speak Five young poets from Leeds are selected to compete at the world's most prestigious international poetry slam competition in New York City. Fuelled by love, pride and passionate protest, their words light fires to show the world who they are and what they can be. But the determination to be crowned International Slam Champions threatens to overwhelm everything. As the competition draws closer, the poets are forced to discover not just their voices, but what they must find the courage to say. Ode to Leeds is a funny and moving coming-of-age story; a celebration of Leeds and language; and an ode to the art that changed Nyoni's own life. It blends spoken word poetry, heart and soul to provide a poignant and uplifting portrait of the city of Leeds. The play received its world premiere at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, on 10 June 2017.

A bold play collection representing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ+) experiences, from Black British perspectives, this anthology contains seven radical plays by Black writers that change the face of theatre in Britain. With an international reach connecting Africa, the Caribbean and the Diaspora, these plays address themes including same-sex love, sex, homophobia, apartheid, migration and space travel. The collection captures the historical scope and range of Black British LGBTIQ+ theatre, from the 1980s to 2021. Including a range of forms, from monologue to musicals, realist drama to club-performance, readers will journey through the development of Black Queer theatre in Britain. Through a helpful critical introduction, this book provides important socio-political and historical context, highlighting and illuminating key themes in the plays. Each play is preceded by an intergenerational 'in-conversation' piece between two Black British LGBTIQ+ artists and writers who will talk about their own work in relation to the play, looking back at the history and on into the future. Through these rare conversations with highly acclaimed award-winning practitioners, readers will also gain an insight into the theatre industry, funding, producing, venues as well as the politics of identity, the diversity of LGBTIQ+ lives and the richness of Black British cultures.

NINE LIVES See over here it's not like over there. Here there are neon lights. Here there are queens. Here there are rainbow flags draw high. One man and a suitcase filled with the past, uncertainty, high heels, brokenness, African dancing shells and hope. Ishmael has been outed, along with his lover, David. He has sought sanctuary in the UK, but is this evidence enough? As Ishmael waits to hear his fate, he encounters new friends - and enemies, all the while looking for a place to call home again. Zodwa Nyoni threads together humour and humanity to tell the real personal story behind asylum headlines. Nine Lives was developed as part of the West Yorkshire Playhouse's A Play, A Pie and A Pint programme in 2014 and received a UK national tour in 2015. COME TO WHERE I'M FROM Tongue-tied child got lost in migration. Tongue-tied child got lost in separation. Tongue-tied child got lost in assimilation. Theatre company Paines Plough's Come To Where I'm From programme offers a theatrical tapestry of the UK, woven by writers asking if home really is where the heart is. Since 2010, 88 playwrights from across the UK have returned to their home towns to write plays about the places that shaped them. This publication features Zodwa Nyoni's 2013 monologue for the series - a meditation on place, belonging and the author's Zimbabwean roots.