Emeka Agada Makes Playwriting Debut With THE LAST BLACK MESSIAH
Performances run 27-29 August.
Actor/Writer Emeka Agada, known for his breakout role in Amazon Prime's Reacher, will make a powerful debut as a playwright with The Last Black Messiah, a gritty political drama directed by acclaimed director Nathaniel Brimmer‑Beller, premiering at the Etcetera Theatre August 27-29. The Last Black Messiah is co‑produced by Black Pen Productions and Black Bat Productions.
The award-nominated actor also stars in the production. Agada's previous stage credits include The Midnight Caller and Kim's Convenience. On screen, he recently portrayed Hip Hop legend Paradise Gray in an upcoming biopic starring David Harewood and he is set to appear in an upcoming series. As a writer, his sketch comedy series "Black Smith" was recently selected at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival.
Co-starring alongside Agada is Kenneth Butler, a recent Guildford School of Acting graduate whose stage credits include Flying Ant Day, Look Forward: The Ruby Bridges Story and A Midsummer Night's Dream, Jane Eyre, and Pericles.
Set in a fractured America transitioning from the Reagan era into the Bush presidency, The Last Black Messiah is a touching two-hander political drama that unfolds inside a prison. Dr. Oko, an ex-professor and black revolutionary leader, awaits his execution. When his former student makes a surprise visit to the once renowned professor, not everything is as it seems. Through memories and clashing convictions, the play explores the struggle for power and justice in a nation whose priorities often overlook the needs of the majority. The Last Black Messiah explores the difficult questions and asks what is more important, your ideology or your survival.
Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller is a director, actor, screenwriter, and published playwright. He has directed more than 30 theatrical productions, including the UK premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winner James Ijames' White and three runs of his acclaimed play 'In Everglade Studio'.
His work has been nominated for the George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright (for Blood Red Apples & Deep Gold Honey), the BBC Writersroom Popcorn Award for Best New Writing (for In Everglade Studio), and an Offie (for Port City Signature), and won a Bursary Prize for writing and performance at Screenshot, hosted by the Royal Court (for The Nomineers, a monologue adaptation of his play Press).
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