Natasha Delia Letitia Gordon (born 1976) 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 ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n heritage. In 2018, having previously been an actor, with her debut play '' Nine Night'' she became the first black British female playwright to have a play staged in the West End.

Life

Natasha Gordon was born in

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nort ...

in 1976, to parents who were both migrants from Jamaica. Her grandparents had arrived in London from Jamaica by boat as part of the so-called ''Windrush'' generation in the late 1950s. Her mother joined them in 1963, finding work, a Jamaican-born husband and a reassuringly familiar West Indian community there. Gordon's debut play '' Nine Night'' premiered at London's National Theatre in April 2018 to critical acclaim, transferring seven months later to London's Trafalgar Studios on 1 December. The transfer marks a pivotal moment in history as Gordon will become the first black British female playwright to have a play in the West End. In a ''

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...

'' newspaper profile on her, Gordon explains that the "nine night" ritual of gathering to eat, drink and swap stories helped her to connect with her family’s past and inspired her first play. She also cites the recent deportation threats experienced by many of the Windrush generation as fuel for her to learn more about the difficulties her grandparents faced. The play resulted in Gordon winning the London ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright in 2018. As an actor, Gordon's stage credits include '' Red Velvet'' (

Tricycle Theatre The Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) is a theatre located in Kilburn, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Since 1980, the theatre has presented a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area, as well as ...

), '' The Low Road'' and ''Clubland'' (

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 ...

), ''Mules'' (

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 ...

) and ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

'' (

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

). Her film and TV credits include ''Dough'', ''

Line of Duty ''Line of Duty'' is a British police procedural television series created by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions. On 26 June 2012, BBC Two began to broadcast the first series; it was its best-performing drama series in ten years wit ...

'', ''

Class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

'' and '' Danny and the Human Zoo''. In 2019, ''

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 ...

'' writers ranked ''Nine Night'' the 17th best theatre show since 2000. Gordon was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the

2020 New Year Honours The 2020 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebration ...

for services to drama.

Career

Acting

Theatre

* ''Red Velvet'' by

Lolita Chakrabarti Lolita Chakrabarti (born 1 June 1969) is a British actress and writer. Early life Chakrabarti was born in Kingston upon Hull, England, to Bengali Hindu parents from India on 1 June 1969. She grew up in Birmingham, where her father worked as ...

(2012), The Tricycle * '' Speechless'' by Linda Brogan &

Polly Teale Polly Teale (born December 1962) is a British theatre director and playwright best known for her work with the Shared Experience theatre company, of which she was an artistic director. Career In 2002, Teale directed a production of Helen Edmunds ...

(2010)

Sherman Cymru The Sherman Theatre ( cy, Theatr y Sherman) is a venue in the Cathays district of Cardiff. It was built as a twin-auditorium venue in 1973 with financial support from Cardiff University. Sherman Cymru was the name of the Sherman Theatre between 2 ...

* ''

The Exception and the Rule ''The Exception and the Rule'' (in German ''Die Ausnahme und die Regel'') is a short play by German playwright Bertolt Brecht and is one of several ''Lehrstücke'' (Teaching plays) he wrote around 1929/30. The objective of Brecht's Lehrstücke w ...

'' by

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

(2004), Young Vic * ''As You Like It'' by

William 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 ...

(2003), Royal Shakespeare Company * ''Inside Out'' by

Tanika Gupta Tanika Gupta (born 1 December 1963) is a British playwright. Apart from her work for the theatre, she has also written scripts for television, film and radio plays. Early life Tanika Gupta was born in London to immigrant parents from Kolkata, ...

, (2002)

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 ...

* ''Skin Deep'', (2002)

Warehouse Theatre The Warehouse Theatre was a professional producing theatre in the centre of Croydon, England. Based in an oak-beamed Victorian former cement warehouse, it had 100 seats. The theatre closed in 2012 following withdrawal of funding and the disco ...

, Croydon * ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

'' (2002)

Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith) The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London.

* ''Top Girls'' (2001),

Battersea Arts Centre The Battersea Arts Centre ("BAC") is a performance space specialising in theatre productions. Located near Clapham Junction railway station in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, it was formerly Battersea Town Hall. It is a Grade ...

* ''Clubland'' by Roy Williams (2001), Royal Court Theatre

Film and television

* ''Class'' (2016) * ''Line of Duty'' (2016) * ''Danny and the Human Zoo'' (2015) * ''

Dough Dough is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops. Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes yeast or other leavening ag ...

'' (2015) * ''Secrets and Worlds'' (2012) * ''

Law & Order UK ''Law & Order: UK'' is a British police procedural and legal television programme broadcast from 2009 to 2014 on ITV, adapted from the American series '' Law & Order''. Financed by the production companies Kudos Film and Television, Wolf Fi ...

'' (2010) * ''

10 Days to War ''10 Days to War'' is a series of eight short television dramas commissioned by Newsnight and broadcast on BBC Two between 10 March 2008 and 19 March 2008 to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War. It starred Kenneth Branagh, Toby ...

'' (2008) * ''

Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

'' (2006, 2007 and 2016) * ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' (2007) * ''

Little Miss Jocelyn ''Little Miss Jocelyn'' is a British TV sketch comedy written by and starring Jocelyn Jee Esien. The show is made up of studio sketches and hidden camera footage in which unsuspecting members of the public become part of a sketch. The series r ...

'' (2006) * ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...

'' (2004) * ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'' (2000)

Writing

* ''Nine Night'' (2018) National Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Natasha 1976 births Living people 21st-century English actresses 21st-century English dramatists and playwrights 21st-century English women writers Actresses from London Black British actresses Black British writers English people of Jamaican descent English women dramatists and playwrights Members of the Order of the British Empire