Roy Williams

Tim Crothers

Coach Roy Williams, one of the most successful basketball coaches in the nation, tells the story of his life that few people know, from his turbulent family life as a child to the North Carolina Tar Heels' National Championship victory in 2009.

A Life on and Off the Court

Hard Work

Days of Significance

When a huge reward is offered in return for information about the killing of a boy, a group of close friends on the estate face the biggest test of street loyalty in their young lives. D.C. Joe Stephens must return to his old neighbourhood to investigate. Fallout premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London in June 2003.

Fallout

Harland Padfield

USA. Case study of the effects of employment opportunity creation (through an experimentalemployment service and vocational training programme) on a group of 28 low income minority group men, demonstrating that a main reason for failure is in the design of the job creation programme, which reflects the social structures and inequalities of the rejecting society itself - examines the social problems of the unemployment-prone slum dweller, social adjustment and workers adaptation of the trainees, etc. References.

Stay where You Were: a Study of Unemployables in Industry

Right, you know the rules, watch the low blows, if it's a knock-down no messing about, go straight to your corner, and don't come out till called for, are we clear? Touch gloves, let's go. In the red corner: Leon Davidson - Black British champ or Uncle Tom? In the blue corner: Troy Augustus - American powerhouse or naive cash cow? Having spent their youth in the same London boxing gym, vying for the favouritism of inspirational, foul-mouthed trainer Charlie Maggs, the two former friends step into the ring and face up to who they are. Boxing has dominated their lives with an unhoped-for structure and meaning, but it becomes clear that it is no substitute for their health, family, and friends. Roy Williams' Sucker Punch looks back on what it was like to be young and black in the 1980s and asks if the right battles have been fought, let alone won. With an introduction by Harry Derbyshire, Lecturer in English and Drama at the University of Greenwich.

Sucker Punch

Set in modern-day Jamaica, Kingston 14 follows the story of James, a black British police officer, who is sent to Kingston to investigate the murder of an English tourist in a local hotel. Tied to Jamaica by his father who was born there, James struggles to lead a proper investigation when gang leader, Joker, is brought into custody. The play comes to a climax when two police officers are kidnapped, uncovering corruption hidden in a corner of the sun-bleached island. Roy Williams's police-corruption drama received its world premiere at Theatre Royal Stratford East, London - where Williams's first play, The No Boys Cricket Club, was produced in 1996 - on 28 March 2014, starring Goldie as Joker.

Kingston 14

Tanika Gupta

Simon Stephens

Three new plays from three of the UK's most celebrated playwrights. All rooted in West London, the plays explore race, identity and our sense of place and purpose, presented together as one piece, Out West. The Overseas Student by Tanika Gupta London. 1888. An 18-year-old Gandhi has just arrived from India to study Law. Miles from home, his wife and his family, we see him navigate a time of uncertainty, growth and opportunity. As he builds a new life, he explores the joys of money, food and women whilst facing the struggles of class and imperialism. Gupta's sharp and profound play is an insight into the teenage years of a man we know will grow up to be one of the most significant figures in history. Blue water and cold and fresh by Simon Stephens London. 2020. A walk back in time. A walk that may change everything he's ever believed. In the wake of city lockdown living and the Black Lives Matter protests, one man's journey across London raises difficult truths he has to confront. The death of a loved one. His father's racism. His own white privilege. This heartfelt piece explores what it means to be a father, husband and son. Go, Girl by Roy Williams London. 2020. Working as a security guard at Westfield and a mother to a teenage daughter, Donna sees her life as unremarkable. Why have things not turned out how she pictured when she was a young girl, inspired by the words of Michelle Obama? The hope and excitement she once felt has now become isolation and judgement of the choices she has made. Until one night Donna gets a call from her daughter that makes her rethink her entire life. As their bravery and humanity is tested, Donna realises just how remarkable they both truly are. A celebration of Black women, everyday heroism and female resilience.

The Overseas Student; Blue Water and Cold and Fresh; Go, Girl

Out West

'[Williams's] plays have brought the experience of black urban youth onto the stage' Observer Sucker Punch: 'As usual with Williams, the dialogue is crisp and bespoke: motives are mixed, nobody is a hero, nothing is just black and white.' The Times Joe Guy: 'Williams's dialogue ricochets around the stage like gunfire . . . energetic, exciting and entertaining.' Stage Category B: 'Category B is a harrowing play, but one shot through with both dark humour and tentative flickers of hope'. Daily Telegraph Baby Girl: 'The shocking thing about Roy Williams's Baby Girl is that it argues that there is a cyclical pattern to teenage pregnancy . . . Williams paints a rivetingly plausible picture of a world in which mothers and daughters are sexual rivals, 'virgin' is the ultimate peer insult and the school gates are a fertile hunting ground for male predators.' Guardian There's Only One Wayne Matthews: 'Williams's writing is punchy . . . Wayne's gradual understanding of the realities of the world make this a touching coming-of-age drama.' Guardian

Sucker Punch; Category B; Joe Guy; Baby Girl; There?s Only One Wayne Matthews

Williams Plays: 4

In a pub in South London 'The Firm' reunite for the first time in 12 years. Back in their misspent youth they were a notorious criminal gang; these days they're older, wiser, and their lives have changed beyond recognition. But when an uninvited guest turns up to the party with an intriguing proposition and an explosive secret it's clear they might be tempted to try their hands at one last job. Will they escape their past unscathed?

The Firm

Roy Williams has a deserved reputation as one of the most exciting young writers whose plays have electrified the sort of audiences most theatres rarely see: streetwise urban youth. 'His plays have brought the experience of black urban youth onto the stage' (Observer).This third collection of plays, introduced by the author, showcases the diversity, the moral probing and the fine ear for authentic dialogue characteristic of his writing: Fallout: first produced in 2003 the play focuses on the aftermath of the killing of a teenager. Slow Time was commissioned and developed by the National Theatre's Education Department and toured to London schools. Set in a young offender's institution the play depicts three young men and their fight to survive. Days of Significance was produced by the RSC in 2007 and is revived at the Tricycle Theatre, London in March 2008. It was described by the Daily Telegraph as 'the best new play of the year ... that powerfully caught the debased spirit of our times.' Absolute Beginners - a stage adaptation of the seminal novel of adolescence set in 1958 London - produced at the Lyric Hammersmith May 07: 'bags of energy and highly watchable' Daily Mail.

Fallout; Slow Time; Days of Significance; Absolute Beginners

Williams Plays: 3

By the Grace of the Gods (manga) 01

ECEL2003

ECEL2003-Proceedings of the 2nd European Conference on eLearning - 2003

Don't ever be that way, like your brother. No matter what the excuse or provocation, don't be like that. It's 2011 and 1958 and London is rioting. Candice is ordered by her gang-leading boyfriend to lure Clint into a honeytrap. Haunted by her grandfather's mistakes, she stands at a crossroads. Will she do as she's told, or will she learn to be true to herself before history repeats itself? This modern tale for riotous times spans three generations, exploring race, family and misguided loyalty. The riots of 2011 provoked comment on the morality of youth and the codes by which they live. Advice for the Young at Heart digs into the question of whether this is a new phenomenon or one that young people have struggled with for generations. Using two simultaneous plots taking place during the 1958 Notting Hill race riots and the riots of 2011, Roy Williams asks how a new generation of teenagers can learn from the mistakes made by a previous generation.

Advice for the Young at Heart

Bola Agbaje

Winsome Pinnock

Kwame Kwei-Armah

Mustapha Matura

Jackie Kay

The Methuen Drama Book of Plays by Black British Writers provides an essential anthology of six of the key plays that have shaped the trajectory of British black theatre from the late-1970s to the present day. In doing so it charts the journey from specialist black theatre companies to the mainstream, including West End success, while providing a cultural and racial barometer for Britain during the last forty years. It opens with Mustapha Matura's 1979 play Welcome Home Jacko which in its depiction of a group of young unemployed West Indians was one of the first to explore issues of youth culture, identity and racial and cultural identification. Jackie Kay's Chiaroscuro examines debates about the politics of black, mixed race and lesbian identities in 1980s Britain, and from the 1990s Winsome Pinnock's Talking in Tongues engages with the politics of feminism to explore issues of black women's identity in Britian and Jamaica. From the first decade of the twenty-first century the three plays include Roy Williams' seminal pub-drama Sing Yer Hearts Out for the Lads, exploring racism and identity against the backdrop of the World Cup; Kwame Kwei-Armah's National Theatre play of 2004, Fix Up, about black cultural history and progress in modern Britain, and finally Bola Agbage's terrific 2007 debut, Gone Too Far!, which examines questions of identity and tensions between Africans and Caribbeans living in Britain. Edited by Lynnette Goddard, this important anthology provides an essential introduction to the last forty years of British black theatre.

Welcome Home Jacko, Chiaroscuro, Talking in Tongues, Sing Yer Heart Out ..., Fix Up, Gone Too Far!

The Methuen Drama Book of Plays by Black British Writers

‘[Williams’s] plays have brought the experience of black urban youth onto the stage' Observer Sucker Punch: 'As usual with Williams, the dialogue is crisp and bespoke: motives are mixed, nobody is a hero, nothing is just black and white.' The Times Joe Guy: ‘Williams's dialogue ricochets around the stage like gunfire . . . energetic, exciting and entertaining.’ Stage Category B: ‘Category B is a harrowing play, but one shot through with both dark humour and tentative flickers of hope’. Daily Telegraph Baby Girl: ‘The shocking thing about Roy Williams's Baby Girl is that it argues that there is a cyclical pattern to teenage pregnancy . . . Williams paints a rivetingly plausible picture of a world in which mothers and daughters are sexual rivals, ‘virgin’ is the ultimate peer insult and the school gates are a fertile hunting ground for male predators.’ Guardian There’s Only One Wayne Matthews: 'Williams's writing is punchy . . . Wayne's gradual understanding of the realities of the world make this a touching coming-of-age drama.' Guardian

Sucker Punch; Category B; Joe Guy; Baby Girl; There's Only One Wayne Matthews

A fierce and excoriating portrait of British racism, Roy William's Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads premiered in 2002 at the National Theatre. Set in a south-west London pub during the 2000 England vs. Germany match, tempers are running high. As England lose again, their supporters in The King George lose it too – at full time, patriotism has become unapologetic racism. This Methuen Drama Student Edition of the play includes commentary and notes by Gemma Edwards, University of Manchester, UK, which explore the production history of the play as well as the historical, social and cultural contexts that surround it, such as the rise of Nationalism and far-right groups in the UK. Also featuring an interview with Roy Williams about the play and its relevance 20 years on, this edition is a must-have resource for any student exploring Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads.

Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads

Do wrong, you get done, simple as. Gail Wilde is an average policewoman, but one who lives up to her nickname, 'Wildefire' – and in the precarious world of modern policing, being wild or full of fire is hardly likely to be appropriate for the job in hand . . . Suspicions surrounding Gail's professional conduct reach fever pitch when a fellow officer is involved in a serious incident on the beat. Conspiracy theories and rumours are rife – not only at work but at home too – and a cycle of accusations and recrimination ensues, spiralling out of control. Roy Williams's riveting thriller looks at the maelstrom of urban policing, and the mental and physical impact it has on the people we rely on to keep the peace. This edition published to coincide with the world premiere at Hampstead Theatre, London.

Roy Williams

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