Kwame Kwei-Armah author page

Kwame Kwei-Armah biography

Kwame Kwei-Armah is a British playwright, actor, singer, and broadcaster. He was born Ian Roberts and later changed his name to Kwame Kwei-Armah. He is known for his work in theatre, television, and radio, and has written several plays that have been staged in the UK and internationally.

Kwei-Armah first gained recognition as an actor, notably for his role as paramedic Finlay Newton in the BBC medical drama Casualty. He later established himself as a playwright with works such as Elmina’s Kitchen, which premiered at the National Theatre in 2003. The play was shortlisted for the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright and won the 2003 Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

His other plays include Fix Up (2004) and Statement of Regret (2007), both of which were also staged at the National Theatre. Kwei-Armah has written and presented documentaries for BBC Radio 4 and has contributed to various television programmes.

In 2011, he became the artistic director of Center Stage in Baltimore, USA, making him the first British African-Caribbean to lead a major US theatre. In 2018, he was appointed Artistic Director of the Young Vic Theatre in London.

Kwei-Armah was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to drama. In 2018, he directed the musical Twelfth Night at the Young Vic.