Black boy joy: Defying stereotypes on the London stage
Ryan Calais Cameron found success as an actor, but grew tired of being typecast as drug dealers and gangsters. He began creating his own stories that challenged convention.
Ryan Calais Cameron dreamed of being an actor, but after a careers advisor told him this was unrealistic he took a different path as a tradesman. Eventually becoming unhappy, Ryan took a risk with acting. Landing himself a lead role on one of London’s biggest stages opened the door to an established career in theatres and on TV. But as his career as an actor progressed, Ryan often found himself playing clichéd and typecast roles like gangsters and drug dealers.
Frustrated and wanting to challenge convention, Ryan turned playwright to create stories and worlds that fulfilled him, addressing race, misogyny and masculinity in his work. Ryan’s plays, Queens of Sheba and For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy, have transformed him into one of Britain’s most sought-after screenwriters and playwrights.
Presenter/producer: Tommy Dixon
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707
(Photo: Ryan Calais Cameron. Credit: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
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