Gbolahan Obisesan

Last updated
Gbolahan Obisesan
Born
Nigeria
Alma mater London Guildhall University
Occupation(s)Director
Writer
Notable workMad about the boy

Gbolahan Obisesan is a British Nigerian writer and director. He was the Artistic Director and Joint CEO at Brixton House theatre. He has served as a Genesis Fellow and Associate Director at the Young Vic.

Contents

Early life

Obisesan was born in Nigeria and moved to the UK when he was 9 years old. [1] [2] He grew up in Bermondsey and New Cross. [2] He attended Southwark College, where he earned a Distinction in Communication & Visual Design in 2000. He later completed a Bachelor's degree in Communication and Visual Studies at London Guildhall University and was involved with the National Youth Theatre. [3]

Career

Obisesan has served as a writer, actor and director. [4] He won the Jerwood Directors Award from the Young Vic for Sus in 2010. [4] In 2011 Obisesan's play Mad About the Boy won the Fringe First for best play. [5] It was published by Nick Hern Books. [6] He directed four plays for epic 66 books at the Bush Theatre. [7] It went on to tour the Unicorn Theatre, Royal Court Theatre and Bush Theatre. [5] He was the only British writer for Rufus Norris's Feast at the Royal Court Theatre in 2013. [8] Obisesan adapted Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman for the Bristol Old Vic in 2013. [9] The production was taken to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it was described as "theatre made by young people, about young people, for everybody". [9] He wrote and directed How Nigeria Became: A Story, and A Spear That Didn't Work, which ran at the Unicorn Theatre in 2014. [10] The play commemorated the centenary of Nigeria and was nominated as one of the Best Productions for Young People in the OffWestEnd Theatre Awards. [10] [11] He was made the Young Vic Genesis Fellow in 2015. [12] [13]

In 2016 Obisesan directed Charlene James's Cuttin'it, which premiered at the Young Vic before touring to Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, Crucible Theatre and London's Yard Theatre [14] [15] In 2017 it was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre. [16] His latest production,The Fishermen is an adaption of the novel by Chigozie Obioma. [17] It debuted at HOME theatre in Manchester, UK, in 2018. [18]

Obisesan was made artistic director at the Brixton House (formerly Ovalhouse) theatre in January 2020 and left in January 2023. [19] [20] [21] In the wake of the George Floyd murder and the associated protests, Obisesan called for British theatre to become more inclusive. [22] At the time, less than 5% of London theatre employees were black and minority ethnic, whilst the population of London are 40%. [22] In an interview with The Guardian, Obisesan said, “perpetuating whiteness across institutions and organisations can no longer be the norm,”. [23]

Directing and writing

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young Vic</span> Theatre in Waterloo, London

The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Stephens</span> British playwright (born 1971)

Simon Stephens is a British-Irish playwright and Professor of Scriptwriting at Manchester Metropolitan University. Having taught on the Young Writers' Programme at the Royal Court Theatre for many years, he is now an Artistic Associate at the Lyric Hammersmith. He is the inaugural Associate Playwright of Steep Theatre Company, Chicago, where four of his plays, Harper Regan,Motortown, Wastwater, and Birdland had their U.S. premieres. His writing is widely performed throughout Europe and, along with Dennis Kelly and Martin Crimp, he is one of the most performed English-language writers in Germany.

<i>Pigeon English</i> Book by Stephen Kelman

Pigeon English is the debut novel by English author Stephen Kelman. It is told from the point of view of Harrison Opoku, an eleven-year-old Ghanaian immigrant living on a tough London estate. It was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ovalhouse</span>

Ovalhouse, formerly called Oval House Theatre, was an Off-West End theatre in the London Borough of Lambeth, located at 52–54 Kennington Oval, London, SE11 5SW. It closed in 2020, and moved to Brixton, becoming the Brixton House theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Lan</span> British theatre director and writer

David Lan is a South African-born British playwright, theatre producer and director and a social anthropologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheffield Theatres</span> Theatre complex in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

Sheffield Theatres is a theatre complex in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It comprises three theatres: the Crucible, the Lyceum and the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse. These theatres make up the largest regional theatre complex outside the London region and show a variety of in-house and touring productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Atkinson</span> English stage, film producer (b. 1984)

Steven Atkinson is a British producer working in theatre and film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufus Norris</span> British theatre and film director (born 1965)

Rufus Norris is a British theatre and film director, who is currently the artistic director and chief executive of the National Theatre.

Ian David Rickson is a British theatre director. He was the artistic director at the Royal Court Theatre in London from 1998 to 2006.

Natalie Abrahami is a British theatre, film and opera director. She was Associate Director and Genesis Fellow at the Young Vic in London 2013-16 and Associate Artist at Hull Truck Theatre. From 2007–12 she was joint Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre with Carrie Cracknell.

<i>The Childrens Monologues</i> 2010 play, revived several times

The Children's Monologues is a theatrical performance featuring the adapted stories of children's first-hand experiences in South Africa. It was directed by Danny Boyle and first produced as a one-off charity performance in November 2010 at the Old Vic Theatre in London in aid of Danny Boyle's arts charity Dramatic Need. An anniversary performance was produced the Royal Court Theatre in London on 25 October 2015 as an anniversary gala, and it premiered in New York City at Carnegie Hall in 2017. The shows were also produced at theatres in South Africa around the same times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Offstage Theatre UK</span>

Offstage Theatre (UK) is "an enterprising young theatre company", based in Waltham Forest, London, run by Artistic Director and Producer Cressida Brown. The company's first piece was Home, written by Gbolahan Obisesan, Cressida Brown and Emily Randall in response to the demolition of the housing estate Beaumont Road. The site-responsive piece functioned as "a valuable document of a people and a place just moments before an irrevocable change". "The project, which overwhelmed the creative team with its success" established Offstage as a Site-specific theatre company.

The Genesis Foundation, a UK-registered charity, was established by John Studzinski in 2001. Over the past 23 years, the Foundation has donated more than £22 million to the arts. Through its funding and partnership model, it has enabled opportunities for thousands of young artists, primarily in theatre and music, building both their experience and their resilience. Cross-disciplinary networking and mentoring are inherent to the Genesis Foundation and crucial to its work. 

Chris Goode was a British playwright, theatre director, performer, and poet. He was the artistic director of Camden People's Theatre from 2001 to 2004, and led the ensemble Chris Goode and Company until its closure in 2021.

Charlene James is a British playwright and screenwriter. She won substantial acclaim for her play Cuttin' It, which addresses the issue of female genital mutilation in Britain, for which she won numerous awards.

Lynette Linton is a British playwright and the artistic director at The Bush Theatre. She directed the award-winning Donmar Warehouse production of Sweat. In 2019 she was named as one of Marie Claire's "Future Shapers".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elyse Dodgson</span> English theatre producer

Elyse Dodgson MBE was an English theatre producer. In 1996 she co-founded the International Department at the Royal Court Theatre and ran this for over 20 years. In this time she worked with playwrights and coordinated play development projects in more than 70 countries. According to April De Angelis, Dodgson was "responsible for thousands of new plays written in voices that may otherwise have remained silent."

Brixton House is an Off-West End theatre in Brixton in the London Borough of Lambeth, located at 385 Coldharbour Lane, London, SW9 8GL. It is the successor to Ovalhouse at Kennington, and opened in 2022.

Danyah Miller is an English writer and theatre producer.

References

  1. ↑ "Obisesan; Gbolahan | BPA". www.blackplaysarchive.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-08-11.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Gbolahan Obisesan: 'You have to give the story to the people'". the Guardian. 2019-09-25. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  3. ↑ "Interview with Open Door founder David Mumeni | There's a place in this industry for everyone | National Youth Theatre". www.nyt.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  4. 1 2 "Gbolahan Obisesan - Royal Court". Royal Court. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  5. 1 2 3 Obisesan, Gbolahan (2012). Mad About the Boy. doi:10.5040/9781784602932.00000002. ISBN   9781784602932.
  6. ↑ Oladipo., Obisesan (2010). Living without AIDS. AuthorHouse. ISBN   9781452006536. OCLC   610166174.
  7. ↑ Able, Sane and. "Gbolahan Obisesan - The Agency". The Agency. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  8. ↑ "Feast (Young Vic) - Royal Court". Royal Court. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  9. 1 2 3 "Pigeon English". Twisted Theatre. Archived from the original on 2018-08-11. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  10. 1 2 3 "How Nigeria Became: A story, and a spear that didn't work - Unicorn Theatre". www.unicorntheatre.com. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  11. ↑ "Interview: Gbolahan Obisesan, Director, 'We Are Proud...'". Whats On Africa. 2014-02-24. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  12. ↑ "Nick Hern Books | About Gbolahan Obisesan". Nick Hern Books. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  13. ↑ "Young Vic appoints director Gbolahan Obisesan as Genesis fellow | News | The Stage". The Stage. 2015-07-01. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  14. ↑ "CUTTIN' IT". Archived from the original on 2018-08-11. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  15. ↑ "Cuttin' It directed by Young Vic Genesis Fellow Gbolahan Obisesan". www.genesisfoundation.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2018-08-11. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  16. ↑ "Here - The Royal Court Theatre". studylib.net. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  17. ↑ "The Fishermen - HOME". HOME. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  18. 1 2 "Production details". www.newperspectives.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  19. ↑ Urban, Mike (2020-03-05). "Ovalhouse Theatre announce name change to Brixton House, and appoint new artistic director, Gbolahan Obisesan". Brixton Buzz. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  20. ↑ "Congratulations to Gbolahan Obisesan, new Artistic Director of Brixton House, formerly Ovalhouse". Alfred Fagon Award. 2020-03-06. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  21. ↑ "Interview: Ovalhouse Theatre's artistic director Gbolahan Obisesan on Brixton's 'startling stories' | SWLondoner". South West Londoner. 2020-03-29. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  22. 1 2 Contributor (2020-07-02). "Brixton House director joins call for anti-racist theatres". Brixton Blog. Retrieved 2021-01-05.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  23. 1 2 "Gbolahan Obisesan: give BAME talent trust and theatre will thrive". the Guardian. 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  24. ↑ "SS Mendi: Dancing the Death Drill review – tragic history stunningly sung". the Guardian. 2018-07-06. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  25. ↑ newperspectivesTV (2018-08-02), The Fishermen Trailer Edinburgh (2018) , retrieved 2018-08-11
  26. ↑ Gardner, Lyn (2016-05-31). "Cuttin' It review – streetwise drama evolves into fierce FGM statement". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  27. ↑ "Cuttin' It". Young Vic website. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  28. 1 2 "Zaida and Aadam". www.bushtheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  29. ↑ Dickson, Andrew (2015-01-27). "Walking the Tightrope review – playlets that probe politics and art". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  30. 1 2 office, GNM press (2014-11-17). "Guardian and Royal Court announce Off the Page - a unique series of 'microplays' uniting journalism and theatre". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  31. ↑ "Mad About the Boy". www.bushtheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  32. ↑ Billington, Michael (2010-06-10). "Theatre review | Sus | Young Vic, London | Michael Billington". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.