Gbolahan Obisesan is a prolific director, playwright and actor, who is also the Artistic Director and joint CEO of Brixton House (which was formerly Oval House Theatre). Gbolahan has previously directed work for theatres including the Young Vic, Royal Court Theatre and Soho Theatre; As a playwright his plays have been seen at Edinburgh Festival, Bristol Old Vic, Bush Theatre, Unicorn Theatre and the House of Parliament. Finally, as an actor he has played numerous roles including playing Dr Martin Luther King in the Young Vic’s production of The Mountaintop. 

0:00The Beginning – The adventures he had growing up in Nigeria, re-enacting his favourite films and moving to Bermondsey, London.

11:08 How Did You Get That Job – How what he learnt from Hong Kong Cinema martial arts movies saved his skin on the streets of Bermondsey and how he got his first opportunities in theatre…

28:42 The Battlefield of the Mind – This month this section is going to be a bit different as we spend a little more time talking to Gbolahan about code switching.

44:30 The Mountain Top – The greatest moments in Gbolahan’s career so far…

53:03 The Things I Wish I’d Known – The advice he would give to young men today who are just starting out in the arts…

Hashtags

Not a Nice Place for Black People 

Paid to Direct His First Play at 19 Years Old.

Code Switching

Who Has the Intelligence to Deliver Art?

My Blackness is Seen as Inherently Threatening… 

It’s All Love…

Playing Dr Martin Luther King

Cutting It

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The Good Man Audiobook
The Good Man on Audible.com


Links

Gbolahan on Twitter 

Gbolahan and Brixton House

Obama Code Switching and Key & Peele parody
(Look under the heading ‘The racial pioneer’ and FYI the videos may take a minute to load)

Credits
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