Slights & Others v Crossroads Pantomimes Ltd and Others is a recent employment tribunal case looking at the legal definition of workers. It has linked my legal and creative worlds and opened up a window into the pantomime business. Equity, the British Actors’ union, has successfully brought a tribunal claim against Crossroads Pantomimes. Crossroads is the largest pantomime company in the world. Here is a case summary on this crucial case.

Case Overview

An Employment Tribunal has made significant findings for the pantomime theatre industry in the case of Slights & Others v Crossroads Ltd & Others. The case focuses on the definition of limb “b” workers. The case was heard in the London Central Employment Tribunal on 10th to 12th January 2022 by Employment Judge Norris. Read the case itself here.

The individuals who brought the claim (the Claimants) held various roles in pantomime productions. Their roles include being performers, stage managers, and part of the technical support for the production. The case centred on the Claimants’ capacity as performers. Via Equity (the British Actors’ Union), the Claimants brought a group claim against their employer, Crossroads Pantomimes (formerly QDos Pantomimes). They argued that they were workers and therefore entitled to certain protections under UK law. In particular they were seeking holiday pay. 

Crossroads Pantomimes is the largest pantomime production company in the world. It was arguing that the Claimants’ were self-employed and not workers, which is also what was written in their contracts. 

The Employment Tribunal has ruled that pantomime performers are workers. This means that the Claimants (and perhaps others in similar situations) are entitled to holiday pay from their employer.

Dan Leno as Widow Twankey in “Aladdin” at the Drury Lane Theatre, 1896. Photo: Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The Legal Issue: Limb “b” Workers

To get technical on what happened, we need to look at what the legal issue was. The legal issue considered in this case was: are the Claimants ‘limb “b” workers’? 

‘Limb “b” worker’ refers to section 230(3) subsection (b) (or limb “b”) of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (the Act). The Act says:

’In this Act ‘worker…means an individual who has entered into or works under (or, where the employment has ceased worked under) – 

1. a contract of employment, or

2. any other contract, whether express or implied and (if it is express) whether oral or in writing, whereby the individual undertakes to do or perform personally any work or services for another party to the contract whose status is not by virtue of the contract that of a client or customer of any profession or business undertaking carried on by the individual.’ 

Therefore, in definition if the Claimants were workers the main focus was on the client/customer categorisation of the employer. If Crossroads is a client or a customer receiving services from the Claimants, the Claimants would be self-employed and not workers.  The relationship would be on a more equal footing and not one of subordination and dependency. Judge Norris decided that as far as the Claimants are concerned Crossroads was not a client or a customer of the Claimants, and therefore the Claimants were workers as defined under limb b of section 230(3) of the Act – they are limb “b” workers. The nature of pantomime theatre and how it works in practice, provides the reasoning.

The Nature of Pantomime Theatre in Defining Workers

The Tribunal decision highlighted factual elements of pantomime theatre explaining why they are limb “b” workers. These factual elements can be summarised as follows:

• pantomimes are seasonal productions, and by their nature do not run for the entire year. However, this does not preclude individuals from being workers or lessen their dependancy on an employer

• individuals commit to rehearsals from late November, with a run of performances from early December to sometime in January and it is unrealistic to say they could work elsewhere during the season

• Once they have committed to the season’s production, likely to be in or around August of that year, they have no further autonomy or independence whether in relation to that production or otherwise from the date rehearsals start until the date the run ends

• once engaged for the pantomime season, they do not have the power to influence the production or negotiate their own fees

In addition to the above factors, a respectful definition clarified that the Claimants were considered to be ‘Artistes’ as opposed to ‘Key Artistes’ – Key Artistes being the headline celebrities or pop stars, featured and employed by the pantomime companies for its publicity. 

Taken together as a whole, these factual elements meant that the Claimants were sufficiently subordinate and dependent on the pantomime company to deserve the protection of the law and the protection of worker status and be classified as workers. Judge Norris said:

‘…it is entirely unrealistic to suggest that the Respondents [the pantomime company]… are the ‘client or customer’ of the Claimants’

Shropshire Council’s Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury. Mother Goose. Photo: Pamela Raith

Why It Matters

The tribunal decision is fact specific and by looking at the facts of the case, you can see whether it applies to your own employment situation. It will be helpful to read the case in full and so have a detailed understanding of the facts of the case so that you can observe any similarities as to whether you are a worker. Many issues and legal rights go unprotected particularly in industries like the creative industry, where connections and getting along with others is central to obtaining work. Equity exists so that individuals may remain anonymous. It is rare for a case like this to make the headlines and became mainstream news. The fight for protection of vulnerable workers is real and on-going. This case matters because it has raised awareness of legal issues happening in the pantomime business that have left individuals unprotected for a considerable amount of time.

If you have any questions on any employment matters, you can contact me at Wainwright & Cummins Solicitors LLP.

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Baby Kaafo means “Baby Don’t Cry” in Ga and is the title of a traditional lullaby from Ghana. Ga is a language spoken by the Ga people of Ghana, West Africa.

Background To my Recording of Baby KaaFo

I directed a series of plays for Equal Stages, including an extract from a play by a British playwright called Zindika, ‘Paper and Stone’.  I learnt from my interview with Zindika that during her original workshop of Paper and Stone in London, early 1990, the cast decided to include a Ghanian lullaby in the theatre piece.  They felt this would root the play and its themes with the African ancestry of the characters involved in the play. The play did not specify which Ghanian lullaby should be used, and so I selected one known to my Ga speaking family. However, when I went to research the lullaby, I couldn’t find it anywhere online. So I had to go straight to an original source. I asked granny.

Happily sharing a clip of Baby KaaFo, a lullaby from Ghana, sung by my Grandmother, Mrs Rebecca Odonkor:

Lyrics and Translation

 Here is my translation of the Baby KaaFo lullaby into English:

Baby Kaa Fo [baby don’t cry]

Mgme O mami e-te? [where has your mummy gone?]

E -te lai [she’s gone to the market]

Mini e shi ha bo? [what did she leave you?]

E shi mi Akpakpa [she left me a pawpaw]

Ha mi eko ma ye! [give me some!]

Inha bo fai! Toh noh! [I won’t give you any! expression of refusal]

Ke o mami ba, ma ke le [when mummy comes I’ll tell her!]

Ke o papi ba, ma ke, le [when daddy comes i’ll tell him!]

Ta ta tay – yay yay yay – Yaa yaa wooshio! [nonsense words]

With Granny circa 1985

The Ga Language and Family Ties

My mother’s side of the family are Ga, as are my paternal grandmother’s side of the family. The Ga people belong to one of the three main tribes in Ghana, their roots are in Greater Accra. 

 I found a lovely blog about the Ga people and their origins including the culture of the Ga language.

It’s been great to have an opportunity to learn the Baby KaaFo lullaby, and have a go at understanding the Ga language along the way. Not to mention capturing my granny singing. Being far from home gives unique opportunities.  

A Palm tree in Ghana

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Feminist, activist. Thinker, nationalist. Broadcaster, producer, editor. Writer in Jamaica and England, across the 20s to the 60s of the 20th century she wrote columns, features, reports, poems, manifestos, radio programmes – plays. She edited and published journals, produced culture, and she was the first black radio producer to be employed by the BBC.

Via Equal Stages, I have had the honour of delving into the life of Ms Marson. Learning about her life and most fascinating for me, learning about her plays, has been my main 2021 lockdown pre-occupation.

Equal Stages

Equal Stages is “an evolving programme to bridge performance and diversity”. I’ve been working with the team since January 2021. It has been an amazing and empowering experience, a chance to confidently try out new things. There is nothing more meaningful than having others believe in you, take a chance on you, and support you to grow.

I was commissioned to direct London Calling; a play set in London but to date, only produced and performed at The Ward Theatre in Kingston, Jamaica in 1937.

London Calling

The play is a satire, looking at (among other things) race relations in the UK in the 1930s, and the choice of marriage as a social expectation and the pressure that puts on women’s independence and individuality. It is in three acts and the excerpt we have taken is the whole of Act One.

Marson

Una Marson is most famously known for her work at the BBC and even avid fans are yet to fully discover her playwright life. This is most likely due to the plays she wrote being unpublished for a very long time. One of her plays, A What A Price, remains unpublished to this day. Marson’s other two known plays, Pokamania and London Calling were first published in 2016 by Blouse and Skirt Books and it is through this publication that we were able to get going and produce a radio version of an excerpt of London Calling.

Director

This was my first directing job. It was a challenge due to lockdown. Rehearsals were on Zoom and we recorded the whole piece on our phones. However, it turned out great and I’m very happy with the result.

A new skill to grow!

We did a photoshoot for the play with our actress, who played the lead character of Rita Rae, Ann Akinjirin. My dear school friend and talented photographer Helen Boast took the pictures for us. The pictures are taken around Bloomsbury, where the play is set. Listening to the excerpt and looking at these photos help to capture the mood of the play.

Ann Akinjirin as Rita Rae from London Calling by Una Marson

Una Marson and Beyond

In addition to the play, I interviewed Delia Jarrett-Macauley – who has written Marson’s definitive biography. I also co-wrote with Equal Stages founder Nick Awde a podcast on Marson’s life and times with a focused analysis on London Calling.

To learn of Marson’s life has been a great inspiration. Her courage, tenacity and authentic creativity have strengthened my own resolve, not just professionally but personally too. To know of a black woman living in London in the 1930s and doing her thing has meant a great deal.

You can listen to our audio play excerpt on YouTube here.

London Calling by Una Marson

There is also plenty on the Equal Stages YouTube channel to explore. Hopefully more to come!

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GOSH – Great Ormond Street Hospital, welcomed The Unicorn Theatre, who invited me, to visit the children and their families and share some stories.

Background

The Unicorn Theatre is an amazingly focused and specialist theatre aimed at audiences aged 2 to 21. Having been to watch their shows at the London Bridge venue, I found the shows challenging, engaging, and able to be fundamentally real yet still full of imagination.

I was invited to be part of a project, that would go to Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The project was to take a collection of modern adaptations of Aesop fables, via audio, to the children and their families. It wasn’t just any audio though. The audio was binaural, that is, fully sensory. It is like the action is in your head, travelling from one side to the other, right there with you.

Job?

We sometimes get involved with jobs out of pure enthusiasm, and before we really know what it entails, right? Well, that’s what happened here. This was an opportunity to have creative licence to develop how the stories would be presented and delivered, I could not say no.

At GOSH, to protect their individual health needs, the children cannot interact with each other. Therefore, I was going into each child’s room, one at a time. Seeing the child, and the family member they were with, gauging the energy in the room. The levels of engagement needed from me. It was not a job, but a delicate relationship. A hugely rewarding challenge.

How I Really Felt

Nothing could prepare me for this experience. It was very overwhelming to be there with a sole purpose of uplifting others in a hospital environment. It was intense to experience the family member who was present, and share the experience of their child being in hospital. There were many facilitators there, artists, even dogs! Just trying to vary the day, and normalise the day for the children. Trying to make a child smile.

My time at GOSH was unforgettable.

Aesop Fables

It helped that the stories I was taking around were pure excellence. I had three stories from a selection of eight, which had been performed at The Unicorn in August 2019. Being part of this, was a huge honour. Endless thanks to GOSH, and The Unicorn, and endless respect.

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Tickets for Snow Queen

Snow Queen is my Christmas theatre gig.

It really is coming. Christmas. In the Western world this winter holiday, is a real mix of emotions. A time of remembering lost loved ones, and a time of wishing some loved ones were lost. Not to mention a lot of expenditure (perceived pressure).

Snow Queen…What’s It About?

Snow Queen is about the journey of a young girl called Gerda, who will be played by me! After being restricted and told that “the time for playing is over” by an overly protective parent Gerda finds strength and courage to be herself again, to find fun, lightness and also fearlessness by travelling magically through the seasons to find her best friend Cei who has been lured to the ice palace by The Snow Queen. It’s an old, old, tale written by Hans Christian Anderson, adapted for our purposes by Charles Way. Set in London, it’s about what we want it to be about, today. For me, it’s all girl power, growing pains, love, kindness and silly happenings. With heavy sprinkles of theatrical wonder.

Something New

It’s something new for me to be part of, and therefore at the heart of, a truly Christmasy extravaganza. The Snow Queen is just that. A traditional fairytale, often put on at Christmas, for all the family. A real feel good, uplifting, good vs evil, moral vibe. I feel…really good about it. After Earnest, I’ve got a taste for audience participation and also really giving back, making whoever comes to see us the centre and driving force of a show. Snow Queen, I hope, is going to be more of that, on an even bigger scale.

The other something new in all of this is Esmonde Cole (playing Cei) and I, not being the traditional blue eyed blond haired central characters that you would see in the front of the books and film adaptations for this story. The story is a Danish fairytale after all. It’s a brilliant thing to be bringing a new life and new cultural perspective to it – whenever we do this, we make stories more inclusive and, we hope, more accessible.

The Park

We’ll be at The Park Theatre, in the main space. Performing during the day and evenings, which means we’ll have all kinds of audiences from school kids to adults; everyone is invited to join our magical world.

The Park opened in 2013. It is an amazing place and one of the most exciting theatres I have performed in so far. Along with a competition for Stroud Green Primary School to make art work inspired by the show, it is also one of the cutest.

A totally incredible show to be part of and an exceptional life experience.

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Our Two Gents production of The Importance of Being Earnest was a 12-week project. And now it’s all done. These are my reflections, After Earnest.

For a 12-week period of time, we took Oscar Wilde’s seminal play, The Importance Of Being Earnest, and transformed this classical text into our own. We welcomed it into our lives, and we let it take over. Most importantly, we did our best to give it back to a modern day audience. This play is technical in its language and infamous for its presentation of English cultural propriety. What WE did was present it in our own voices. And it will never will be done like this ever again. Thanks to the God of cucumber sandwiches, it worked. We began with a rural tour of England, and finished with a three-week run at Tara Arts Theatre in London.

I learnt from a young age that getting involved in creative projects is a love venture. It takes my whole heart. And I fall in love very fast.

I used to play the piano and the clarinet regularly, I was known as one of the music kids. Summer holidays were spent at music summer school, a lovely posh one held at Benenden Boarding School in Kent. Benenden is a beautiful, beautiful, place with 250 acres of sprawling parkland. Over those summers, a load of us talented young musicians from schools across the country would come together and play music all day for weeks on end. Orchestral music, big band music, classic and contemporary. It was a coming of age time, united by a deep creative love.

I’d get picked up by my mum:

Mama: We missed you! How was your time at Beneden this summer?

Me: 

Mama: Did you have a good time?

Me: Please stop talking to me. My heart is breaking.

Mama: Okay, well it’s lovely to see you.

Me: WHY DOESN’T ANYONE IN THIS FAMILY UNDERSTAND ME?! *Bursts into floods of tears*

The separation from my friends and all that we had shared was too much to bear. It took weeks of recovery to smile again at any one who did not share my Benenden experience. 

Thankfully, I’ve grown.  Part of choosing a career pursing my creative loves, means practicing my passion professionally. Earnest is done and writing this blog is part of the experience. 

Our Rural Touring for Earnest was organised by our co-director Arne. Arne found us brilliant places to stay, and eat. This even included staying on a venue with a gorgeous farm where cows were calving. This was an incredible experience. I loved the amazing and memorable places we stayed at. But in fact, my favourite place was a plain and simple Premier Inn.

I found that on tour, I did not need much. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. As far as rural touring is concerned, simplicity was best. Too much distraction and I was going into creative overload.

We met people who loved their towns and villages and welcomed us with such warmth. They cooked for us and wanted to share the history of the area and let us know how thankful they were because we had travelled to perform for them. For one venue, we were their one and only theatre show for the year. Now that’s an honour. Witnessing all this pride in belonging was a light bulb moment for me. All the places we visited are part of my birthright too. Our touring around meant I saw more of my birth country. I honestly began to feel for the first time, England, I love you.  This is my home too. 

Some of the Earnest performances were tough. Doing our pre-show warm up in a big school (that was nothing like my beautiful Benenden), and…yes I am going to reveal the truth of it…a men’s loo. These were some of the “Dear God, why am I doing this?!” moments.

At one venue we had a 91 year old man in the audience, which we thought was simply amazing. All our audiences were curious about how we two black women were going to pull off an Oscar Wilde play with nine characters.

We had standing ovations and encouraging compliments. What more can you wish for? To add to the glory our rural tour audience also blessed us with hilarious heckling and very enthusiastic audience participation. 

On a rural tour one of the great things about audience participation is that the audience knows each other. They would tease each other, and heckle each other. It was lovely, like being amongst family and friends.

It’s No Joke

Doing a comedy is no joke. Learning to be confident and tell myself “they want me to be here! Just go for it!” That took a lot of confidence building.

Will the audience laugh at a certain joke? or smile? What if there are no laughs and not even any smiles?! Perhaps they will not come back after the interval…the show must go on. Each night deserves its own energy and best effort.

Tour developed me as a performer. Most importantly, I learned to separate myself from the audience’s experience and just get on with the show.

To all the 19 venues we visited across East Anglia, West Midlands, South West England, East Sussex, and South East England  –  THANK YOU!

Where The Streets Are Paved With Gold

After the rural tour, we were destined for London. We had just a handful of days in between and a big task ahead. The lead up to Tara meant lots of promo. We had industry articles giving Earnest a shout-out, amongst which a highlight was an interview with The Guardian.

An interview with Robert Elms at BBC London was arranged for us. This interview with Robert Elms was another of my pre-show highlights.

I hugely appreciated the articles announcing our arrival. I especially love this article about the migrant perspective, written by one of our co-directors Tonderai.

Home Time for Earnest

There is not much that can be put into words about being at Tara Arts. It was all I could ever have wished for, as far as a first theatre run for Earnest is concerned. Tara Arts Theatre is a home from home. It is intimate and warm. Zoe Biles and Harry Elletson (the PR team), conjured up trailer videos and a photo shoot. By that I mean they captured our joy and we are forever grateful to them.

The reviews for Earnest, which I have only read post-play, were in our favour (*takes multiple bows*). Being acknowledged and noticed by the industry was an encouraging confidence boost. And the show itself, did great! We got 4 and 5 star reviews.

To do a comedy that really makes people laugh and offers a great night out is a true gift. To share a space with people who have come to see you and enjoy themselves, is the best buzz. Any down day is lifted if I remember all the laughs we gave and shared.

Doing this play, I felt at home with myself. Whatever comes next, I’ve had this as a beginning. It’s in black and white, online and in writing. In the words of Nina Simone, nobody’s gonna take it away.

Kudzanayi. Honestly, the best way to make sure you can get to the end of a project like this (going on tour and having a cast of only two people) is to make sure you don’t get too close. Professional boundaries. Kudzanayi and I naturally fell into this rhythm. And in doing this, we became very real friends.

I trusted Kudzanayi completely. She had my back at all times. We looked out for each other. 

As the time went on I appreciated how we were each supporting each other in our dreams. Doing this play together, and all it needed and expected from us, meant helping each other to make our independent acting aspirations come true. 

The end product, the confidence building, reviews, the successes, the exhilaration of pulling it all off is only a testimony to our sisterhood. To us saying to the each other “I got you”. 

Kudzanayi, Thank You. 

My main reflection on Life After Earnest, is that I’m thankful that a leap with an open heart, has paid off. Doing this play meant placing a lot of trust in myself and my co-creators.

How do I know the leap has paid off? It’s because you can’t fight the good feeling inside, when you know you’ve done well.

THE JOYFULLY CELEBRATED END. 

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In August 2018, A Book’s Christian Academy (in Apopka Florida USA) refused entry to a 6-year old boy because of his dreadlocks.

In September 2017, Fulham Boys School (in the UK) asked a 12-year old boy to cut off his dreadlocks.

Let’s discuss DREADLOCKS.

Afro Hair and Dreadlocks

Dreadlocks take many years to grow! They can be symbolic of a person’s heritage and part of a person’s identity. References to dreadlocks as well as to afro hair can be found in the Old Testament Bible (Numbers 6:5 and Revelation 1:14) and they are usually associated with the Rastafarian religion/culture, and Hebrew-lites.

Afro hair has a certain texture which means that certain styles allow it to be more easily and well managed. Daily combing of tightly coiled afro hair may be painful. Dreadlocks is a style that avoids this because afro hair may naturally form into locks. It is therefore a way to wear afro hair, and allow it to grow, naturally & with relative ease. 

Raising the Next Generation

Around the world, communities, and societies make choices about how to raise the next generation.

Schools have rules and regulations for management of their children. This includes codes on uniforms, as well as hair-grooming and appearance. Consequently this then extends to the workplace in later life.

We were allowed to stop wearing our uniform when we reached the 6th form at my secondary school. The uniform was a kilt and blazer. However, we had to “dress for work”. The school told us that it was to discipline us and prepare us for work. It was also to associate the neatness and well-kept-ness of our dress as a form of disciplining the mind. Our school considered it an act of trust to allow us to not wear school uniform. We were finally young adults, about to set out into the world. The school hoped we would keep its values as our foundations.

Different Strokes For Different Folks

An issue arises when we try to interpret “neat” and “being disciplined”.

As a comparative example to the UK, many children in Ghana are required to cut their hair for school. This is so that grooming does not become a distraction from education. This applies to boys and girls.

Is there evidence to show that children who always had their hair short are excelling above others who did not?

I remember going on a school trip to Amsterdam when I was 11. In Amsterdam the children did not have a school uniform. They seemed fine to me. If anything they were calm, well-adjusted and more mature than we were. And we were in our smart but stiff clothes with the school emblem emblazoned on us.

Are the factors which affect success more nuanced than controlling hair and clothing? 

In this episode of Afro Archives, I have tried to touch on this. With the publicity of the dreadlocks case in Florida, it was a great launch pad for debate. It was strongly felt on social media, that the case was in the realm of race discrimination. Comparatively, dreadlocks are a choice that more people of black African descent would make. The indirect effect of a law that prohibits dreadlocks is clear. The potential number of black boys who might be excluded from school because of dreadlocks is likely to be greater than the number of white boys excluded for the same reason. Furthermore, choosing dreadlocks is a much deeper and personal choice. For someone of African descent, the ability to wear hair naturally as dreadlocks is a representation of ethnic origin. 

Dread This

The control of hair runs deep. Hair choices are not just about aesthetics. They relate to care of ourselves and our well-being. In fact, they also relate to freedom of expression. How far should we allow institutions like schools to infringe on our rights & on children’s rights? Particularly when they are rights that we as a human race strive to uphold and protect.

How important is it to allow children to feel confident in who they are?

How important is freedom of expression with hair?

Are rules restricting self-expression helpful in supporting and encouraging the leaders of the future?

Plenty of food for thought and a great topic to debate. Dread This.

In my 12th episode of Afro Archives On Air , I discuss dreadlocks with guests including my uncle Kofi who has been growing his dreadlocks for 35 years. I ask my guests to share their views on the news story of a 6-year old boy in Florida who was banned from school because of his dreadlocks. We open up and share thoughts on culture, identity and discrimination through our discussions. You can have a listen and also have a read:

I think afro hair discussions are endless. I hope this episode speaks to you and is of interest. And if you fancy just enjoying some music, how about having a listen to the specially chosen tracks for Dread This:

PLAYLIST

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“Everyone on Earth is carrying around an unseen history and that alone deserves some tolerance”

Sometimes, for the whole day, I’m simply…Trying to not get TOOOO F*CKING FRUSTRATED TBH. These are my reflections on where I’ve come from and the truth of the strength and courage I’ve gained, because I decided to roll the dice. 

Trust

I have taken big risks with my life. But I believe that I have followed a universal principle, supported by evolution. That is the principle of trust.

If we live a life, and never roll the dice, doesn’t it mean we refuse to try and evolve?

I am not sure whether “win” or “lose” has anything to do with it. But every time I am unsure on the steps, and leaps I have taken, I remind myself of all the people I’ve met and things I’ve done since making my big life decisions. Therefore I am re-assured, because nothing, but nothing, can replace life experience. Nothing can give more emotional and spiritual maturity than simply living your life fully.

Live and Let Die

For me, living fully has meant deciding to explore my skills, wants and dreams, without hesitation. I trained for many many years to become a lawyer. It was a long journey and I ended up in an exceptional law firm, one of the best in the country.

There are a plethora of reasons for why we make decisions in our lives. What I learnt was that I wanted to make my own decisions for my life. Law gave me financial security, but it was not giving me creative fulfilment. Consequently, as the universe does in a fascinating way, it got to a point in my life where a whole host of factors aligned to influence me, and challenge me to step into unknown territory: family crisis, breakdown in relationships, health worries, therefore everything but the kitchen sink, and all at the same time. It all came together to force me to start searching for deeper answers within.

Fortunately, I had some friends, just a handful, who were supremely present in my life. Between them, they helped me get out of bed every day, and also pricelessly, gave me the inspiration to think about what I really wanted for my life. Interestingly, my conclusion for what I really wanted for my life, was that I didn’t know! This is where the leap came. It was time to take steps in the dark. And that is what I did.

Looking Around Me

Fast-forward up to now, and I am building two careers. Both of them represent my original loves, passions, and the roots of who I am. However, what I find most humbling, is that it is the surrounding cushion of activities that have grown around me that are in fact shaping who I am in the world.

On my journey and pathway to become a successful actress, and also maintain my legal career (and all the good I can do in those respective fields) I have gained the trust of others and had incredible experiences that I could never have anticipated. Two events that happened one at the beginning of this year, and the other towards the end perfectly encapsulate this.

Year Begin

At the beginning of the year it was The Stage Awards. The Stage is a newspaper for the acting industry. I first discovered this paper when I was around 8 or 9 years old. I had some pocket money and I had wondered into the newsagents (probably on the hunt for sweets). On my way in, I passed the newspaper stand. There, on the stand, was The Stage. I was drawn to it, picked it up, and as I flicked through I will never forget my thought in that moment: “Oh My God. Someone has made a paper just for me”.

The Stage

The Stage is full of theatre news, opportunities, and blogs, and tips and endless theatrical knowledge. I was hooked. At that time it cost 50p (what costs 50p nowadays days?!), and it became one of my little girl life essentials. On my route to working in the industry as a professional, a huge part of my effort has been on making myself useful and keeping active. I joined my Equity branch early on, and was pretty much immediately on the committee. From there, I was introduced to a movement called Act For Change, soon to become The Act For Change Project.

Act For Change

The momentum of Act For Change blasted me into the heart of the acting industry’s worries and concerns, matters of discrimination and equality. As an employment lawyer specialising in discrimination, I could be very useful to the cause. I gained the trust of my new peers and moved from Admin Assistant for the first major Act For Change event, to being a Trustee of the charity and then voted as Chair of the Board of Trustees. And it was in this capacity, as the Chair of The Act For Change Project, that I got my invite to the Stage Awards 2018. Dadaa!

It is the experience along the way, that makes all the difference. After three years on the board at Act For Change, I have now stepped down. But, nothing can ever take away from all I learnt about life, and myself because of the the position I held and having that opportunity. Choosing to life fully has definitely meant no regrets.

Year End

Towards the end of the year, other interesting opportunities arose in and around my legal and acting careers. The National Theatre has been a tremendous support and provider of space to grow and learn. The learning and education department have had me involved in leading events in their learning and discussions spaces. This year, my involvement grew further and I had an incredible, unforgettable opportunity. I was engaged to chair a rehearsed reading as part of the National’s “Courage Everywhere” series.

Courage Everywhere

“Courage Everywhere” was organised to mark the 100th anniversary of some women in the UK gaining the right to vote. I was part of the readings of “In The Parlour” by Judy Tate, which is about the involvement if African American women in the emancipation struggles. The other performances were called “Magda, Jo, Isabella” by Saviana Stanescu, Aoise Stratford, and Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon. The pieces shared history, matters of intersectionality and, in my view, setting the record straight on a few things. It was an incredible evening, and my opportunity to be part of it, was part of my leaps of faith in to the darkness.

Strength Within

From the beginning to the year to the end, more happens than can ever be properly communicated, but for me these two events at the start and the end represent unexpected by-products of following a universal principle of trusting the universe, trusting God. They are amazing things that have happened to me, which I could never have planned, and took place only because I leaped into the unknown.

Roll The Dice

Some of what we do in life is connected to necessity. Others family, and survival. Beyond survival, there is a desire to thrive. I’ve rolled my dice and am getting more comfortable with the unknown. Lose, win, fail…no matter what, I’m creating my history.

Let’s go. Roll The Dice.

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LOCS: One choice.

One thing I know is 100% true about afro hair, is that we have a lot of choice when it comes to hairstyles.

Locs It To You? Afro Archives Show 10 with Ayesha Casely-Hayford

What I also know is true is that a person with afro-textured hair may choose a hairstyle, such as locs, because it helps naturally maintain the hair’s afro-texture as well as being a style of ease.

So doesn’t it follow that hairstyle choice can be connected to race?

Rebekah Bageya on Afro Archives with Ayesha Casely-Hayford

LOCS, CULTURE, AND IDENTITY

My 10th, 11th and 12th Afro Archives On Air episodes are dedicated to locs. Show 10 is titled “Locs It To You?”and in this episode I wanted to begin to explore locs as a hairstyle choice.

“locs is a hairstyle where the hair that one would normally comb or shed locks on itself, creating ropelike strands. Hair is not combed during the locking process, which is what causes the strands to coil around themselves into fused units” – LiveAbout

I interviewed some friends with locs (traditional dreadlocks, free-forming dreadlocks and sister locs). This included friends from different cultural backgrounds because I want to bring out the experience of the black woman through comparison with others. What I did was enough to show the sense of empowerment and racial identity that black women of African descent feel by wearing their hair in locs, and how this is not a sentiment for a woman who is not of African descent. In our podcast my best friend Esther, of English descent, expressed feeling more herself and more in touch with her identity by getting rid of the locs. Comparing this with Audrey, Bakita and Rebekah the link between locs, culture and identity is clear. 

Audrey Odonkor on Afro Archives with Ayesha Casely-Hayford

On the podcast, Audrey, Bakita, Esther and Rebekah share with us their experiences and views, so we can all get a better idea and information about locs as a hairstyle choice. They help us to see the link between locs as a hairstyle choice that is connected to race. Have a listen to the podcast and see what your own feelings are on the connection between hairstyle choices and race.

MUSIC

My guests pick their playlists on all the shows. I love the playlist for this episode because it is chilled and warm. Have a listen here.

CHASTITY JONES

 I invited my guests to comment on the Chastity Jones case. I’m obsessed with this case. As far as I am concerned, it is a complete madness. If you don’t know about it, I’ve done a podcast on that too, right here.

Bakita Kasheda on Afro Archives with Ayesha Casely-Hayford

MAGAZINE

If you prefer a read to a listen here is our fab  Afro Archives Magazine via the images and links to Issu below:

Audrey Odonkor on Afro Archives with Ayesha Casely-Hayford

The Podcast

To conclude, in my Afro Archives show podcast episode 10 “Locs It To You?” Audrey, Bakita, Rebekah and Esther share their views on locs and give us some music via Afro Archives on Wandsworth radio. Have a listen to the podcast and join the conversation.

You can also read what my guests had to say on why they wear their in locs via the individual magazine editions for Audrey, Bakita, and Rebekah. Locs it to you? Whatever you want it to be. Be You. 

Locs it To You? by Ayesha Casely-Hayford Afro Archives

Esther Rainbow on Afro Archives with Ayesha Casely-Hayford

Rebekah Bageya on Afro Archives with Ayesha Casely-Hayford

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The Importance of Being Earnest, is a play written by Oscar Wilde. We are performing it as two women of colour, that is myself and actress Kudzanayi Chiwawa. Between us, we are doing ALL of the parts. This means multi-roles, multi-accents and taking the confusion of this play to a whole new level.

This Play

Earnest is a farcical play. It involves mistaken identity and basically, gaslighting. I am fascinated by the concept of gaslighting because I think it happens so much and is still being discovered on major and minor levels in our loves. For those who have not come across the term yet “gaslighting” is the word for when you manipulate (someone) by psychological means into doubting their own sanity. The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedy. Within it, when you delve into the issues, there is a very dark side. For example, there are matters of abandonment, child abuse, child neglect, domestic abuse, lying, bullying, and manipulation. Furthermore, there are very real themes of being an outsider and questions on class, status and belonging.

Two Gents

In our delivery of Earnest we are being led by two incredible artists, namely Arne Pohlmeier (director) and Tonderai Munyevu (co-director and actor). Together, Arne and Tonderai are the Two Gents. Two Gents is the name of their theatre production company, which they have been running successfully for the past ten years.

 “We are a cross cultural touring theatre company based in London. We write, devise, develop, and perform challenging and unique work that draws equally on classic texts such as Shakespeare and our experience of migration and displacement”.

The Importance Of Being Earnest feat. Kudzanayi Chiwawa and Ayesha Casely-Hayford

Rural Touring & Creative Opportunity

Kudzanayi and I are each 50% of the cast for Earnest. We have been given space  to develop Earnest with our own experiences as an underscore. This is something I will forever be overwhelmingly thankful for. I have been challenged to an extreme level as a performer. Consequently through being in tour we take the show to different venues and audiences and use audience interaction as part of the story-telling. This takes deep self courage, and great theatrical talent. Not to mention all the character development as we have over four characters each.

Oscar Wilde

Earnest was written by Oscar Wilde at a time when to be homosexual in England was illegal. As a homosexual man, he was in the middle of trials, which led to a prison sentence, illness, and eventually his death. Incredibly, Wilde gives a prophecy in the play through the lines of the character Jack Worthing: “my brother…my brother Earnest…he died…in Paris…of a severe chill”. After writing the play, Oscar Wilde himself died of a severe chill, in Paris.

New Times, New Way

It feels aptly profound to be performing this play as two black women. Oscar Wilde was hiding, because of his sexuality, he was an outsider.  Black women often hide in many different ways. This includes not showing our natural hair, to changing our tone or speech in order to avoid discrimination. The unique challenges to survival (let alone thriving) that black women face due to the intersectionality of our gender and race is not a new matter. However, it IS an on-going fight.  This play is usually performed as a light comedy commenting on British manners and the upper classes. In presenting it ourselves,  we challenge the play simply stepping onto the stage and saying “we own this”. It is the best feeling, and I feel it respects the true spirit of the fight and struggle. There is hiding and pain within the text of the play as experienced by the author himself. I hope Oscar Wilde would commend us for it.

The Production

The Importance of Being Earnest A Two Gents Production performed by Ayesha Casely-Hayford and Kudzanayi Chiwawa

So far, our feedback from Earnest has been excellent. We have performed in churches, community centres and also theatres. Thanks to Applause Rural Touring (who provide an ability for venues in Kent and Sussex to book theatre for their local communities including at discount rates) we have had full venues and engaged audiences. From some who have never heard the play, to others who know every line, we have been kept on our toes and also supported with standing ovations, laughter and curiosity.

The Importance Of Being Earnest feat. Ayesha Casely-Hayford and Kudzanayi Chiwawa

Next Up: Tara Arts

We are going to be able to share the work in London for a whole three weeks at Tara Arts Theatre in spring of 2019. In the meantime, we will be continuing to delve to the heart and soul of Earnest, what it means to us, what it means to society today, and where we can go next with it. Tickets for the London show are on sale now! 

Ayesha Casely-Hayford and Kudzanayi Chiwawa living it up on Tour

Ayesha Casely-Hayford and Kudzanayi Chiwawa at Westbury Festival, one of our favourite rural tour venues

A beautiful opportunity to do a pre-show touch tour – actresses Ayesha Casely-Hayford, Kudzanayi Chiwawa and director Arne Pohlmeier.

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