DRAPER TOGETHER & INFALLIBLE PRODUCTIONS PRESENT:
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARY SEACOLE
We were honoured to host, within the celebrations for Black History Month 2017, an afternoon with Professor Dame Elizabeth Nneka Anionwu and Cleo Sylvestre. Elizabeth and Cleo discussed what it was liketo be mixed- race in Britain before Windrush.
Cleo performed excerpts of her acclaimed one-woman play about Mary Seacole and Dame Elizabeth talked about the historical research that brought about the Mary Seacole statue, erected in the grounds of St. Thomas' Hospital.
This event, suitable for all ages, was followed by a Caribbean-style BBQ included in the entrance price.
Cleo Sylvestre made her West End debut in Wise Child by Simon Gray with Sir Alec Guinness for which she was nominated Most Promising New Actress. She then went on to be the first Black British actress to have a leading role at The National Theatre in The National Health by Peter Nichols followed by seasons at The Young Vic including tours to Broadway and Mexico.
Her acclaimed one-woman show about Mary Seacole has been performed in numerous venues and last year received five Four Star reviews in Edinburgh. She has made several shorts for Isaac Julien including Vagabondia, (Turner Prize shortlist ), was in the film Kidulthood, Tube Tales (dir Jude Law), Paddington and recently appeared with Idris Elba in Five By Five on BBC3.
Dame Elizabeth Anionwu was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to nursing and the Mary Seacole Statue Appeal and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2001 for her services to nursing. In 2004 she was awarded the Fellowship Of the Royal College of Nursing (FRCN) for developing the sickle cell and thalassemia counselling centre.
This was an event suitable for all ages!
