‘This is what I say to young people, including my own daughter – Listen to yourself, believe in yourself’. This interview with the prolific and profound playwright and director, Biyi Bandele advice would be for theatre practitioners to ‘learn the rules of your craft so that when you do break those rules you understand why you are breaking them’. Over and over again Bandele emphasizes the importance of reading and seeing plays. ‘Reading plays and seeing as many plays as you can is a part of developing your craft as a playwright. It is important to find your own voice he says, but to do that you must learn from what is out there.’
Influenced by Wole Soyinka and other African playwrights, Bandele has been produced by The Royal Court numerous times. He has guidance on how to understand how he as a director makes casting decisions, how old news articles might trigger an idea for a play and how to know if a dramaturg can help you to find your own voice. Watch this intriguing Masterclass and consider the following questions:
- 1. Are you prepared to put up a ‘mirror’ to society with your art?
- 2. How did ‘Death Catches the Hunter’ come about? How was it staged, after numerous rejections?
- 3. What does Bandele mean when he talks about ‘writing to explain ourselves’? And why is this so offensive to Bandele?