THE RENDITION MEETS RYAN CALAIS CAMERON

When we talk about talent in the theatre industry, sometimes the powerhouses behind the stage go unnoticed, despite the fact that without them, there wouldn’t be a show.

In recent years, we’ve seen some brilliant plays that break away from the mainstream, offering alternative perspectives and resonating with new audiences, particularly those who may not have always felt that theatre was for them. One that particularly stands out is “For Black Boys Who Have considered Suicide When the Hue gets too heavy”. What began as a relatively small production at New Diorama — highlighting the joys and struggles of a group of Black male friends — evolved into a movement of its own, transferring to the West End for two sold-out runs and attracting a huge audience.

The person, the brains and the words behind the critically-acclaimed play is Ryan Calais Cameron.

Now, just weeks out from the opening of his second West End transfer, Retrograde — a gripping drama following the iconic Sidney Poitier — we spoke to Ryan learn more about this journey, the challenges of telling bold stories, and the power of community in shaping the future of theatre.

We kick off the interview with some quick-fire questions. Ryan prefers sitting in the circle over the stalls, and the last play he enjoyed (that he wasn’t involved in) was G by Tife Kusoro at the Royal Court Theatre.

His favorite theatre snack? I never got to find out. This question triggered a memory of a time when Ryan was rudely told off in the theatre. He was trying to quickly and quietly open some snacks which, by the way, he had purchased from the theatre bar itself, when a fellow audience member loudly sshhed him and told him to “Put. That. Down”. He had paid good money for those seats, only for this man to scold him like he was a child and almost ruin his theatre experience. The cheek!

You’ve had shows in the West End for three consecutive years now, including Retrograde this year, and you’re the co-founder of Nouveau Riche. Where did your passion for storytelling come from, and how do you keep that passion burning?

The passion came from being frustrated that no one was telling stories in the way I wanted to consume them. With Nouveau Riche, the question I would ask was:

How can we break through the European structure of storytelling and tell stories in a way that feels ancestral?

Looking back, all of the work that we made at Nouveau Riche was very experimental, taking influence and inspiration from different parts of the diaspora.

I started my career by telling the stories that I wanted to hear, without knowing if anyone else cared about them. Seeing the shows sell out and witnessing the positive responses from audiences made me realise that we had a whole community behind us. 

Who have been some of your inspirations on your journey as a playwright?

Growing up, my two biggest influences were Roy Williams (Uncle Roy!) and Debbie Tucker Green; I studied the heck out of their work.

Ntozake Shange inspired For Black Boys. There would be no For Black Boys if I hadn't read For Colored Girls. This inspiration was both artistic and directorial, her work was a deliberate act of rebellion to deconstruct the ways in which stories had been told. Before I read For Colored Girls, I didn’t know that you were allowed to do that.

I never considered myself a writer when I was at school, college, or uni. When I started reading August Wilson's plays, I learned that you can make a piece that is so culturally specific, which also feels incredibly universal at the same time. That inspired me, it was a skill I wanted to develop.

Retrograde is about a defining moment in Sidney Poitier’s career where he had to make a principled stand. Have you ever faced a moment in your own career where you had to make a difficult choice about integrity vs. opportunity? How hard is it to balance success and authenticity?

Anything I've ever written draws on personal experience. In order to give an authentic portrayal of Sidney Poitier, I had to be able to see myself in certain situations.

Throughout my career, from my first play until now, there was always going to be this question of “how far are you willing to go and how much are you willing to compromise?”

It’s important to let people know who I am and what I stand for before we even get into the details. If you’re not down with my ideas and my values, then let’s just call it quits. That’s easier than trying to hide these truths and ending up in a conflicting position later down the line. I’ve had to turn down a lot of opportunities because of this.

Poitier was often expected to represent Black excellence in a way that was palatable to white audiences. Do you feel that there are similar pressures in the theatre industry today?

100%, man. People often say to me, "You’ve made it!", but there’s never been a single job I’ve done where I’m not just one project away from going back to working in Tesco. I’ve seen white creators and artists put out multiple plays in a row that have bombed, but they still bounce back because there’s a level of grace we give as an artistic community, with the belief that your next play might be great. For a lot of Black creatives, though, there’s this fear that if your next play doesn’t do well, it might be your last. Sometimes, we put that pressure on ourselves. A lot of the time, we don’t have as much support or backing. As a community, it would be good to back each other, even if no one else does.

There’s also pressure for your play to sell out every single night, or you feel like you’re never going to get this opportunity again. That’s so unrealistic for any other kind of artist. And maybe it’s all in my head, but I’m not going to lie, I feel like that all the time.

With For Black Boys and now Retrograde both transferring to West End, what considerations and changes to your process do you take to cater for a bigger stage and broader audience?

For For Black Boys, we started at New Diorama Theatre, where we were playing to about 80 seats. On any given night, I'd say 79 of those 80 audience members were Black. So, you knew who you were writing for and how the jokes would land. Then, we moved from 80 seats to 350 seats at the Royal Court Theatre. Still, about 70-80% of the audience were Black, but on certain nights, you'd get the old-school West End crowd. On those nights, we were playing to an 80% white audience. I'd be in the audience, directing the show, and I’d notice that people would laugh really hard at certain jokes… some people were a bit too comfortable. I had never considered that before.

As you get into bigger theatres, you have no idea who you’re playing to. That night, I got everyone in a room, and we went over certain parts and pronunciations of words, because one reaction to a particular line could suddenly change the meaning of the entire play for whoever was in the audience that night. A section that was meant to be collective in cultural unison could, all of a sudden, make an audience member stick out and feel uncomfortable — even if the play never suggested that.

Ryan Calais Cameron with Ivanno Jeremiah, who plays Sidney Poitier in Retrograde.

What’s impact do you want to leave on future playwrights, what do you want them to know and hold onto?

Artistic freedom is about knocking down any type of barrier or box that anyone tries to put you in. We often speak about race, but I think class is a massive issue as well. I know a lot of writers from similar backgrounds who feel like they have to create a certain type of work or present themselves in a specific way to be part of the art community.

Be bold in who you are and in the journey that’s brought you to the place where you can tell the stories you want to tell.

By Zainab Swanzy.

Retrograde is currently showing at the Apollo Theatre until 14 June.