Charlene James is a British

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. She won substantial acclaim for her play ''Cuttin' It'', which addresses the issue of

female genital mutilation Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found ...

in Britain, for which she won numerous awards.

Early life

James grew up in

Birmingham, England Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. She became interested in acting as a child, and took acting classes at Stage2 in Birmingham. She went on to study acting at the

Steppenwolf Theatre Company Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Chicago theatre company founded in 1974 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry, and Gary Sinise in the Unitarian church on Half Day Road in Deerfield, Illinois and is now located in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood on ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

before becoming interested in playwriting, and earned a place in the young writers' program at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...

in London.

Career

Playwriting

Her first play, ''Maybe Father'', was short-listed for the

Alfred Fagon Award The Alfred Fagon Award is granted annually for the best new play by a Black British playwright of Caribbean or African descent, resident in the United Kingdom. It was instituted in 1996 and first awarded in 1997, to recognise the work of Black Br ...

in 2009, and received a reading at the

Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 201 ...

theatre in London. She took a post as writer-in-residence at the

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre c ...

in 2013, where she focused on writing about teen

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

. She wrote ''Tweet Tweet'' for on a commission the Birmingham Youth Rep in 2014. The one-act play addresses issues of

teen suicide Youth suicide is when a young person, generally categorized as someone below the legal age of majority, deliberately ends their own life. Rates of youth suicide and attempted youth suicide in Western societies and other countries are high. Yout ...

and the pressures of

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

. James came to greater public awareness with her 2014 play ''Cuttin' It.'' The play focuses on two teenage girls, both Somalis living in England, who have different perspectives on the practice of

(FGM). James was inspired to write the play after watching the documentary ''The Cruel Cut'' by filmmaker

Leyla Hussein Leyla Hussein ( so, Leyla Xuseen) is a Somali-born British psychotherapist and social activist. She is the founder of Dahlia project,"'FGM is violence, child abuse and sexual assault' – Leyla Hussein",''The London Economic'', 8 September 201 ...

, and after learning that FGM is practiced in Britain. ''Cuttin' It'' earned James the

George Devine Award George Alexander Cassady Devine (20 November 1910 – 20 January 1966) was an English theatrical manager, director, teacher, and actor based in London from the early 1930s until his death. He also worked in TV and film. Early life and education ...

, the

Critics' Circle Theatre Award The Critics' Circle Theatre Awards, originally called ''Drama'' Theatre Awards up to 1990, are British theatrical awards presented annually for the closing year's theatrical achievements. The winners, from theatre throughout the United Kingdom, ar ...

, the UK Theatre Award for Best New Play, and the

Evening Standard Theatre Award The ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the ''Evening Standa ...

for Most Promising Playwright . She was a finalist for the 2016-17

Susan Smith Blackburn Prize The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize established in 1978, is the largest and oldest playwriting prize for women+ writing for English-speaking theatre. Named for Susan Smith Blackburn (1935–1977), alumna of Smith College, who died of breast cancer. W ...

, also honoring ''Cuttin' It''. James' play ''Bricks and Pieces'' was commissioned and performed in 2016 by

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 ...

in collaboration with the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...

. The play examines themes of family, loss, masculinity, as well as communication and its lack, and addresses the challenges of being a gay man from an African family in Britain.

Screenwriting

She has written for the BBC's ''The Break'' and Sky's fantasy drama series ''

A Discovery of Witches ''A Discovery of Witches'' is a 2011 historical-fantasy novel and the debut novel by American scholar Deborah Harkness. It follows Diana Bishop, a history of science professor at Yale University, as she embraces her magical blood after finding ...

''. In November 2019, James was announced as one of the writers for the twelfth series of ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'', making her the second black writer on the television series, in its entire history, following

Malorie Blackman Malorie Blackman is a British writer who held the position of Children's Laureate from 2013 to 2015. She primarily writes literature and television drama for children and young adults. She has used science fiction to explore social and ethica ...

the previous series. She co-wrote the seventh episode, '' Can You Hear Me?'' with showrunner

Chris Chibnall Christopher Antony Chibnall (born 21 March 1970) is an English television writer and producer, best known as the creator and writer of the award-winning ITV mystery-crime drama ''Broadchurch'' and as a showrunner of the long-running BBC sci-fi ...

. The episode dealt with mental health issues, including examining past trauma for companion Yazmin Khan (Mandip Gill). She would collaborate with ''Doctor Who'' alum

Pete McTighe Pete McTighe is a British screenwriter and executive producer. He is originating writer of ''Wentworth'', a female ensemble prison drama series that won Most Outstanding and Most Popular Drama at the Logie Awards. He is the creator and writer of ...

on his supernatural thriller series '' The Rising'' for Sky Max.

Plays

* ''Maybe Father'', 2009 *''Do You Wish to Continue?'', hort play2012 * ''Lundun'' * ''Dad(die)'', 2012 *''Jump! We'll Catch You'', 2013 * ''Bacon'' * ''Tweet Tweet'', 2014 * ''Cuttin' It'', 2014 * ''Bricks and Pieces'', 2016 * ''Go Home'', hort_play,_published_in_''The_Guardian''.html" ;"title="The_Guardian.html" ;"title="hort play, published in ''The Guardian">hort play, published in ''The Guardian''">The_Guardian.html" ;"title="hort play, published in ''The Guardian">hort play, published in ''The Guardian''2017 * "Reclaim the Night", [monologue] in ''Snatches: Moments from 100 Years of Women's Lives: Eight Monologues,'' 2019

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Charlene James's CVCharlene James talking about ''Tweet Tweet''Charlene James interview about playwriting
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Charlene Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) British dramatists and playwrights British television writers British science fiction writers Black British women writers English television writers English screenwriters British women television writers