THE
EDUMFA LIBRARY
The
Private Library of Kwesi Kay, Poet, Playwright, Theatre Practitioner
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THE
EDUMFA LIBRARY |
The
Private Library of Kwesi Kay, Poet, Playwright, Theatre Practitioner |
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THE
ACACIA THEATRE |
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There
was a lot of goodwill towards Acacia when it was launched in 1976 but
regrettably there was also a lot of opposition and hostility. Acacia
was set up at a time when casting directors were reluctant to cast black
Actors in "respectable" roles because "the British public
would not like it" and Acacia was therefore set up to combat racism
in the British Theatre. |
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This
poster of Acacia's last touring production in 1987 of Song of Lawino was
designed by the Technical Director, Janet Hudson, from a photograph taken
and processed by Kwesi Kay. |
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SONG
OF LAWINO was adapted from the poem of the same name by the East African
poet Okot p' Btek by Kwesi Kay who also produced and directed the one
woman show. It toured the North West of England with funding from North
West Arts. |
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| Financial help and encouragement came from companies like Barclays Bank, The Morel Trust, The Theatre Investment Fund and from individuals like Lord Wilson, the former British Prime Minister. But the Arts Council of Great Britain, for example, refused to offer any financial support on the grounds that Acacia had no track record, and this made it very difficult to establish Acacia as a going concern, which had been the aim of the Founder. However, Acacia's success in gaining financial support from the Barclays Bank paved the way for the establishment of ABSA and the beginning of industrial support for Fringe Theatres. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| That the company managed to survive for more than ten years and was able to mount a production at all was a credit to its directors and their tenacity, among whom Ruddy L Davis deserves a special mention. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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