Actress #RakieAyola cites Shakespeare in Italy's Associate Artist Bill Alexander as her #mentor
- The Chronicle Theatre Company
- May 16, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 20
The Anthony and Noughts & Crosses star now in #BBC1 crimer thriller #ThePact was interviewed in recent Financial Times article by Hester Lacey.
STOP PRESS - on June 6th, Rakie won Best Supporting Actress at the #BAFTA's for her role in #Anthony on #BBC1
Film, theatre and television actor #RakieAyola said in a recent interview in the Financial Times that Bill Alexander was her mentor and set her love of Shakespeare.
#RSCHonoraryAssociateArtist Bill is an Associate Director with Shakespeare in Italy. We are planning to stage his abridged six-character version called A Merchant of Venice later this year at The Playground Theatre in London W10.
Rakie, who recently starred in the ITV drama #Grace was named best female actor in the #2020BlackBritishTheatreAwards for her performance in On Bear Ridge. Her other television appearances have included Anthony and Noughts & Crosses.
In the interview she says: “Director Bill Alexander, who I did a lot of plays with in the 1990s set my love of Shakespeare.” She also describes her drama teacher at school and head of studies at the Welsh College of Music and Drama, together with actor girlfriends in a creative network as being mentors.
She adds further: “I’d love to do a costume drama. In period drama you can be larger and fruitier and juicier!”
It was 30 years ago, she says, that she wrote to the head of drama at ITV and said “why do I never see black people in your dramas?” He gave her one line and it got her a job. “I've been running on that ever since. Saying the thing that people want to say, but don’t, for fear of never working again.”
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