Faith Omole, one of the stars of Nida Manzoor‘s punk comedy We Are Lady Parts, which has just begun its second series on Channel 4, will have her debut play produced on stage later this month, starring BAFTA award winner Rakie Ayola.
Omole, a British-Nigerian born in London, was nominated for an Olivier Award earlier this year for her performance in the musical Standing at the Sky’s Edge, by Richard Hawley and Chris Bush at the National Theatre.
In My Father’s Fable which will run at the Bush Theatre from June 15-July 27 July, Peace’s father has recently died. Then she finds Bolu, a half-brother from Nigeria who she didn’t know existed. Filled with grief and a thousand questions, his appearance feels like something clicking into place. Encouraged by her partner and despite her mother’s concerns, Peace invites Bolu to England.
But questions about this stranger’s intentions and his mysterious past hang heavy in the air. Desperate to keep her fractured family – and herself – together, Peace must face the fact that the answers she desperately seeks might just lead to everything falling apart.
Omole has said she feels “really excited as a Black actress, to write a play where another Black actress can come and take up the mantle. It’s about sharing. It’s about inviting people to the table and empowering more people with voices. It’s incredible for me to sit in a room as a girl who has many times in her career felt like there are not enough roles for Black actresses.”
Five years ago she got “brave enough” to start writing again. “Once I started, it was like a dam burst,” she said. An earlier effort, a yet-unproduced play called Kaleidoscope, won the 2023 Alfred Fagon Award, which recognizes and celebrates British writers of African and Caribbean descent.
“The bravest thing for me last year was to decide to try and put stuff out because I was quite protective of all these characters and all these stories,” Omole said. “Last year I decided to send these things to people. Now we’re in the year of things being made.”
Need to know: My Father’s Fable runs at the Bush Theatre from 15 June to 27 July 2024. Find out more via Afridiziak Theatre News and the Bush Theatre.
Related links
Alfred Fagon award submissions open until 31 July 2024
