
Benjamin Zephaniah
Dates:
1958-
Gender:
Male
Place of birth:
Birmingham, UK
Biography
Birmingham born Benjamin Zephaniah divided his early years between the district of Handsworth, and the tropics of Jamaica. Having left school aged 13 because of his dyslexia, Zephaniah gained a reputation amongst his community as a young poet able to speak about local and international issues. He attracted wider public interest through performances at political gatherings and his many television appearances throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He was the first to perform with The Wailers following Bob Marley's death, and at Nelson Mandela's request, Zephaniah hosted the President's Two Nations concert at the Royal Albert Hall in July 1996.
Productions
Production | Date | Theatre |
---|---|---|
Listen to Your Parents | 2002 | College Street, Nottingham |
Streetwise | 1990 | Watermans Art Centre |
Publications
Title | Date | Publisher |
---|---|---|
Black Plays: 2 ed. Yvonne Brewster | 1989 | Methuen Drama |
Refugee Boy | 2001 | Bllomsbury Publishing |
Theatre Centre: Plays for Young People - Celebrating 50 Years of Theatre Centre: 2 by, Benjamin Zephaniah, Anna Reynolds, Anna Furse and Roy Williams | 1970 | 2003 |
Listen to Your Parents Playscript | 2007 | Longman |
Face: The Play, by Benjamin Zepahniah and Richard Conlon | 2008 | Heinemann |
Refugee Boy, adapted by Lemn Sissay | 2013 | Methuen Drama |
Critical sources
Title | Date | Publisher |
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