T-Bone Wilson

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T-Bone Wilson
Born
NationalityBritish
Alma mater Mountview Theatre School
Occupation(s)Actor, dramatist, poet

T-Bone Wilson is a Guyanese-British actor, dramatist and poet. [1]

Contents

Life

Wilson came to England from Guyana in 1962 as an engineering student. Deciding to take up drama, he trained at the Mountview Theatre School. [2] Wilson acted in Mustapha Matura's series of short plays, Black Pieces, [1] staged by Roland Rees at the ICA in 1970. [3] Wilson was inspired to become a playwright himself, [4] writing Jumbie Street March, Body and Soul (1974) and Come Jubilee (1977). [5] Jumbie Street March was produced by the Dark and Light Theatre Company. [6]

As a theatre actor, Wilson performed in the National Theatre's 1981 production of Measure for Measure , the first main-stage Shakespeare by a national theatre company to employ a majority of ethnic minority actors. [7] He played Banquo in a 1984 production of Macbeth at the Young Vic Theatre. [8]

Wilson appeared in the 1979 television drama A Hole in Babylon, based on events leading up to the 1975 Spaghetti House siege. [9] He also appeared in Franco Rosso's 1980 film Babylon , which portrayed sound system culture and racism in Brixton. [10]

Writing

Poetry

Plays

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
1975 Pressure JuniorReleased 1978 [15]
1977 Black Joy Shark [16]
1980 Babylon Wesley [17]
1982Prime Suspect 2

Television

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
1976 The Melting Pot
1979 Play for Today Frank DaviesSeries 10, Episode 7 "A Hole in Babylon" [18] [19]

Stage

YearTitleRoleVenueNotesRef.
1970sJumbie Street MarchKeskidee Arts CentreAlso playwright [20] [21]
1981 Measure for Measure First Gentleman National Threatre, Lyttelton Theatre [7]
1984 Macbeth Banquo Young Vic Theatre [8]

References

  1. 1 2 Procter, James (2002). "Wilson, T-Bone". In Alison Donnell (ed.). Companion to Contemporary Black British Culture. Routledge. pp. 71–2. ISBN   978-1-134-70025-7.
  2. "T-Bone Wilson". British Black and Asian Shakespeare Database. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  3. Billington, Michael (1 November 2019). "Mustapha Matura obituary". The Guardian . Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  4. Megson, Chris (2012). Modern British Playwriting: The 1970s: Voices, Documents, New Interpretations. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 57. ISBN   978-1-4081-2939-5.
  5. "Playwrights: Wilson, T Bone". Black Plays Archive. National Theatre. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  6. Davis, Geoffrey V. (2006). Staging New Britain: Aspects of Black and South Asian British Theatre Practice. Peter Lang. p. 50. ISBN   978-90-5201-042-7.
  7. 1 2 "Measure for Measure (1981)". British Black and Asian Shakespeare Database. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Macbeth (1984)". British Black and Asian Shakespeare Database. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  9. Bourne, Stephen (2005). Black in the British Frame: The Black Experience in British Film and Television. A&C Black. p. 201. ISBN   978-0-8264-7898-6.
  10. Newland, Paul (2010). "We Know Where We're Going, We Know Where We're From: Babylon". In Paul Newland (ed.). Don't Look Now: British Cinema in the 1970s. Intellect Books. p. 98. ISBN   978-1-84150-389-9.
  11. "Counterblast". Library search: Goldsmiths, University of London. London: Goldsmiths, University of London. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  12. "Body and Soul". Black Plays Archive. London: National Theater. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  13. "Come Jubilee". Black Plays Archive. London: National Theater. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  14. "Poster by Oscar Zarete". Victoria and Albert Museum . Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  15. British Film Institute. "Pressure". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  16. British Film Institute. "Black Joy". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  17. British Film Institute. "Babylon". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  18. "A Hole in Babylon". Mubi. London: Mubi. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  19. Wambu, Onyekachi. "Hole in Babylon, A (1979)". BFI Screenonline. London: BFI. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  20. "Jumbie Street March". Black Plays Archive. London: National Threatre. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  21. "JLR/2/5/3 Keskidee Centre, 1971-1979". Catalogue George Padmore Institute. London: George Padmore Institute. Retrieved 13 September 2025.