Adeola Solanke

FRSA The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

, commonly known as Ade Solanke, is a

British-Nigerian British Nigerians are British people of Nigerians, Nigerian descent or Nigerians of British descent. This article is about residents and citizens of Nigerian descent living in Britain. Many Nigerians and their British-born descendants in Britain ...

playwright and screenwriter. She is best known for her debut stage play, ''Pandora's Box'', which was produced at the

Arcola Theatre Arcola Theatre is an Off West End theatre in the London Borough of Hackney. It presents plays, operas and musicals featuring established and emerging artists. The theatre building, in the former Colourworks paint factory on Ashwin Street, Dalst ...

in 2012, and was nominated as Best New Play in the Off West End Theatre Awards."Ade Solanke"

Royal Literary Fund The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a benevolent fund that gives assistance to published British writers in financial difficulties. Founded in 1790, and granted a royal charter in 1818, the Fund has helped an extensive roll of authors through its long ...

. Her other writing credits include the award-winning

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...

drama series '' Westway'' and the Nigerian feature film ''

Dazzling Mirage ''Dazzling Mirage'' is a 2014 Nigerian drama film, produced and directed by Tunde Kelani; it stars Kemi "Lala" Akindoju, Kunle Afolayan, Bimbo Manuel, Yomi Fash Lanso, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett and Seun Akindele. It also features special appearances fr ...

'' (2014)."East Meets West"
ReConnect Africa, July 2014. She is the founder and creative director of the company Spora Stories, whose aim is to "create original drama for stage and screen, telling the dynamic stories of the African diaspora." Solanke has previously worked as an arts journalist and in radio and television, and in 1988 set up Tama Communications, offering a writing and publicity service, whose clients included the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

, the Arts Council and the

Midland Bank Midland Bank Plc was one of the Big Four banking groups in the United Kingdom for most of the 20th century. It is now part of HSBC. The bank was founded as the Birmingham and Midland Bank in Union Street, Birmingham, England in August 1836. It ...

Early years and education

Born to Nigerian parents in London, Ade Solanke was brought up with her three sisters in

Ladbroke Grove Ladbroke Grove () is an area and a road in West London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, passing through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue. It is also a name given to ...

and

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road M ...

, in the west of the capital.Sophia A. Jackson
"Ade Solanke, Pandora’s Box"
Afridiziak, 2 May 2012.Karla Williams

Afridiziak, 5 April 2011. She earned an MFA in Screenwriting from the

University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts The University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) houses seven academic divisions: Film & Television Production; Cinema & Media Studies; John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts; John Wells Division of Writing for Sc ...

, where she was a

Fulbright Scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

and

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

international scholar. She also has a postgraduate diploma in creative writing from

Goldsmiths, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wor ...

, and an honours degree in English literature from the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

."Ade Solanke"
at Black Plays Archive.

Career

She worked as a story analyst for several Hollywood companies, including

Sundance A Sun Dance is a Native American ceremony. Sun dance or Sundance may also refer to: Places ;Canada *Sundance, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood *Sundance, Manitoba, a ghost town ;United States * Sundance, New Mexico, a census-designated place ...

New Line New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

and

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

. Her first screenplay, ''Femi’s Thirtieth'', was a semi-finalist in the annual Nicholl screenwriting contest in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. It was also a semi-finalist in the Amblin/Chesterfield Screenwriting contest, also in LA. Her second screenplay, ''Finishing School'', also reached the Nicholl semi-finals. For some years she worked as an arts journalist, writing for publications including ''

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication i ...

'', ''

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...

'', ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', the ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

'' and '' West Africa Magazine''. In 1988 she set up Tama Communications, a writing, research and publicity service "sympathetic to the needs of the voluntary sector and black organisations", that was judged an "outstanding enterprise" and won the ''London's Top Youth Enterprise'' title in the 1989 London Livewire competition to find the best young business brains. She has also taught at several universities, among them Goldsmiths, University of London, and

Pan-African University The Pan-African University (or Pan African University) (PAU) is a post-graduate training and research network of university nodes in five regions, supported by the African Union and the Association of African Universities. Formation The first A ...

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

, Nigeria, as well as at such institutions as London's

City Lit City Lit is an adult education college in Holborn, central London, founded by the London County Council in 1919, which has charitable status. It offers part-time courses across four schools and five "centres of expertise", covering humanities an ...

and in

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

at the Institute of Creative Arts for Progress in Africa."Pandora’s Box, Crucible Studio"
''

Doncaster Free Press The ''Doncaster Free Press'' is a weekly newspaper in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It is owned by National World. Content of the newspaper The ''Free Press'', or ''DFP'' as it is sometimes known, is published each Thursday and is curr ...

'', 18 September 2014. She teaches Creative Writing at the

University of Greenwich The University of Greenwich is a public university located in London and Kent, United Kingdom. Previous names include Woolwich Polytechnic and Thames Polytechnic. The university's main campus is at the Old Royal Naval College, which along with it ...

."Double theatre award nomination for lecturer"
, Faculty of Architecture, Computing & Humanities, University of Greenwich, 27 November 2015. Her work for radio includes being on the writing team of the award-winning BBC drama series '' Westway''. In 2009 she was commissioned by the

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

to write ''Family Legacy'', a

Nollywood Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there ...

-style film drama drawing on the real-life experiences of people living with

sickle-cell disease Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of blood disorders typically inherited from a person's parents. The most common type is known as sickle cell anaemia. It results in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin found in red blo ...

, which has been disseminated widely on television channels and elsewhere in the UK, USA and West Africa, reaching more than 12 million people in outreach campaigns. She subsequently wrote the screenplay for ''

'' (2014), adapted from the novel of the same name by Olayinka Abimbola Egbokhare, produced and directed by

Tunde Kelani Tunde Kelani (born 26 February 1948), popularly known as TK, is a Nigerian filmmaker. In a career spanning more than four decades, TK specialises in producing movies that promote Nigeria's rich cultural heritage and have a root in documentation ...

. Solanke's first stage play to be produced, ''Pandora's Box'', which was initially showcased in July 2008 as part of

Tiata Fahodzi Tiata Fahodzi (ti∙a∙ta fa∙hoon∙zi) – meaning "theatre of the emancipated" – is a British African theatre company founded in 1997 by Femi Elufowoju Jr. It receives funding as a National Portfolio Organisation of the Arts Council England. ...

's Tiata Delights at the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325-seat producing house with an international reputation, which takes its name from the street on which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diver ...

, had its world premiere and sold-out shows at the

, Hackney, in 2012,Sinem Bilen-Onabanjo
"FAB Culture: Pandora’s Box World Premiere"
''FAB Magazine'', 11 April 2012. subsequently touring nationally in 2014 to 16 venues around the UK; the largest-ever tour for a black play in the UK."British-African family drama set to open lid on difficulties of family life"
''

Salisbury Journal The ''Salisbury Journal'' is the local newspaper for the Salisbury area of England. Founded in 1729, it was revived by William Collins in 1736, who used it to oppose the government of Sir Robert Walpole. Benjamin Collins took over the publicatio ...

'', 2 October 2014. "An exuberant and thought-provoking mix of comedy, tragedy and family drama", ''Pandora's Box'' deals with the dilemma of a British-Nigerian mother, on holiday in Lagos with her streetwise son, about whether to leave him in a strict Nigerian boarding-school or bring him back to the battlefields of inner-city London. It won five-star reviews and was praised as "Honest, simple, enthralling … absolutely brilliant" (''The Public Reviews'') and "Firecracker theatre … touching … hilarious" (''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

''). Reviewing it for ''The Guardian'',

Lyn Gardner Lyn Gardner is a British theatre critic, children's writer and journalist who contributes reviews and articles to ''The Stage,'' '' Stagedoor'' and has written for ''The Guardian''. Theatre critic and educator A graduate in drama and English from ...

wrote: "Pandora's Box buzzes with life and the tensions of real people struggling to make the best of their lives while dealing with the legacies left from the choices made by a previous generation." Another of several positive notices came from Sarah Lewis of the ''Hackney Citizen'', who described the play as "At times laugh out loud funny, at times heartbreaking....essentially a very moving and funny play. Excellent." ''Pandora's Box'' is published by

Oberon Books Oberon Books is a London-based independent publisher of drama texts and books on theatre. The company publishes around 100 titles per year, many of them plays by new writers. In addition, the list contains a range of titles on theatre studies, act ...

. In 2015, Solanke made her directorial debut with her second play, ''East End Boys, West End Girls'', in a London tour that began at the Arcola Theatre before playing in venues including CLF Arts Cafe in

Peckham Peckham () is a district in southeast London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon p ...

, the

Saatchi Gallery The Saatchi Gallery is a London gallery for contemporary art and an independent charity opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985. Exhibitions which drew upon the collection of Charles Saatchi, starting with US artists and minimalism, moving to the D ...

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

, and the

Bernie Grant Arts Centre The Bernie Grant Arts Centre (BGAC) is a £15 million purpose-built multi-arts centre, which includes a 274-seat auditorium, studio/rehearsal space, café/bar, enterprise centre and open spaces. It is located next to the Town Hall in Tottenham, ...

Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Waltham ...

. Reviews variously described the play as "a grim view of a vast and disparate city...occasionally quite sweet and always earnest" and "thought-provoking.... It goes beyond mere entertainment and poses some knotty but ever pertinent questions. The artful Solanke handles the social commentary with sensitivity and intelligence." Solanke's latest play is ''The Court Must Have a Queen'' about

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

's marriage to

Anne of Cleves Anne of Cleves (german: Anna von Kleve; 1515 – 16 July 1557) was Queen of England from 6 January to 12 July 1540 as the fourth wife of King Henry VIII. Not much is known about Anne before 1527, when she became betrothed to Francis, Duke of ...

. It features African Tudor musician

John Blanke John Blanke (also rendered Blancke or Blak) ( fl. 1501–1511) was a musician of African descent in London in the early 16th century, who probably came to England as one of the African attendants of Catherine of Aragon in 1501. He is one of the ...

, who played in the courts of both Henry VII and

and is the first black person for whom there is both an image and a record in the UK. The play was commissioned by

Historic Royal Palaces Historic Royal Palaces is an independent charity that manages some of the United Kingdom's unoccupied royal palaces. These are: * Tower of London * Hampton Court Palace * Kensington Palace (State Apartments and Orangery) * The Banqueting Hous ...

and produced by

Hampton Court Palace Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chie ...

. It premiered in June 2018, performed in the Great Hall at Hampton Court Palace, where

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's acting company the King's Men performed in 1603. Solanke is also developing a project and play about

Phillis Wheatley Phillis Wheatley Peters, also spelled Phyllis and Wheatly ( – December 5, 1784) was an American author who is considered the first African-American author of a published book of poetry. Gates, Henry Louis, ''Trials of Phillis Wheatley: Ameri ...

entitled ''Phillis in London'', which was showcased at the

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

Book Festival in 2018. Solanke is a contributor to the 2019 anthology ''

New Daughters of Africa ''Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent from the Ancient Egyptian to the Present'' is a compilation of orature and literature by more than 200 women from Africa and the African diaspora, ...

'' edited by

Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's youngest and first black female book publisherJazzmine Breary"Let' ...

Works

;Theatre * ''Pandora's Box'' (2012) * ''East End Boys, West End Girls'' (2015) * ''The Court Must Have a Queen'' (2018) ;Film * ''The Family Legacy'' (2009) * ''Dazzling Mirage'' (2014)

Awards and recognition

In 1989, Ade Solanke was named London's Top Youth Entrepreneur for her writing and media business, Tama Communications. In September 2012 she won the award for Best Playwright at the Nigerian Entertainment and Lifestyle Awards. She also won Best Playwright at the Afro-Hollywood Awards. During the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

she was featured along with other writers, including

Diran Adebayo Oludiran "Diran" Adebayo FRSL (born 30 August 1968) is a British novelist, cultural critic and academic, best known for his tales of London and the lives of African diasporans. His work has been characterised by its interest in multiple cultura ...

Sefi Atta Sefi Atta (born January 1964) is a Nigerian-American novelist, short-story writer, playwright and screenwriter. Her books have been translated into many languages, radio plays have been broadcast by the BBC, and her stage plays have been performe ...

Helon Habila Helon Habila Ngalabak (born November 1967) is a Nigerian novelist and poet, whose writing has won many prizes, including the Caine Prize in 2001. He worked as a lecturer and journalist in Nigeria before moving in 2002 to England, where he was a C ...

, Zainabu Jallo,

Nnorom Azuonye Nnorom Azuonye (born 12 July 1967, in Biafra) is a publisher, theater director, playwright, poet and advertising professional. He is also an accredited Methodist Local Preacher with the Methodist Church in Britain and serves as Principal Networker ...

Chibundu Onuzo Imachibundu Oluwadara Onuzo (born 1991) is a Nigerian novelist. Her first novel, ''The Spider King's Daughter'', won a Betty Trask Award, was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Commonwealth Book Prize, and was longlisted for the Des ...

, and

Rotimi Babatunde Rotimi Babatunde is a Nigerian writer and playwright. Biography and education Rotimi Babatunde was born in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria, where he attended St. Joseph's Nursery and Primary School before going on to secondary education at the F ...

, at the Nigeria House Literature Showcase curated by the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) at the

Theatre Royal, Stratford East The Theatre Royal Stratford East is a 460 seat Victorian producing theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company, famously associated with director Joan Littlewood, whose s ...

. * 2012: ''Pandora's Box'' Winner, Best Playwright, Afro-Hollywood Awards * 2012: ''Pandora's Box'' Winner, Best Play, Nigerian Entertainment and Lifestyle (NEL) Awards * 2012: ''Pandora's Box'' nominated for Best New Play for the Off West End Theatre Awards * 2014: ''Pandora's Box'' nominated for the 2014

Nigeria Prize for Literature Nigeria Prize for Literature is a Nigerian literary award given annually since 2004 to honor literary erudition by Nigerian authors. The award rotates among four genres; fiction, poetry, drama and children's literature, repeating the cycle every ...

. * 2015: ''East End Boys, West End Girls'' Winner, Best Play at the 7th Black Entertainment, Film, Fashion, Television and Arts Awards. * 2015: ''Pandora's Box'' and ''East End Boys, West End Girls'' nominated for the 2015 Alfred Fagon Audience Award. * 2016: Presented with the Professor Robert Boucher Distinguished Alumni Award by University of Sheffield."Acclaimed writer receives Distinguished Alumni Award"
Alumni, University of Sheffield, 26 July 2016. Solanke is also the recipient of various academic scholarships and literary awards, including: * 1992:

Fulbright Scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

* 1993:

International Scholarship * 1993: Association of American University Women (AAUW) Scholarship * 1994: Norman Topping Scholarship (USC) * 2001: Royal Literary Fund Fellowship (BFI writer-in-residence) * 2010: Pinter Centre AHRC artist-in-residence,

* 2010:

Peggy Ramsay Award Margaret Francesca Ramsay (27 May 1908 - 4 September 1991) was an Australian-born British theatrical agent.Christopher Stevens ''Born Brilliant: The Life Of Kenneth Williams'', London: John Murray, 2010, p.409 Early life Peggy Ramsay was bor ...

* 2013: Peggy Ramsay Award

References

External links

Official website.

"Playwright, Ade Solanke Speaks to The British Blacklist About Her Play ‘Pandora’s Box’"
The British Black List. * Karla Williams

Afridiziak, 9 October 2015.

Afri-love, 23 May 2012. {{DEFAULTSORT:Solanke, Ade 21st-century British dramatists and playwrights 21st-century British women writers Academics of the University of Greenwich Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Alumni of the University of Sheffield Black British women writers British women dramatists and playwrights English dramatists and playwrights English people of Yoruba descent English women journalists Living people People from Notting Hill USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni Women theatre directors Writers from London Year of birth missing (living people)