Although an increasing number of Black actors were training at British drama schools they often confronted discrimination. Jamaican-born Pauline Henriques at LAMDA in 1932 was made to 'white up' in order to be allowed to act in a Shakespeare play while Yvonne Brewster has described being labelled as 'exotic' and cast only in support roles. Others trained in the Caribbean but found their experience wasn't recognised in Britain.

A major development came in 1956 with the establishment by Trinidadian-born Edric and Pearl Connor of the Edric Connor Agency to represent African, Asian and Caribbean actors and negotiate better terms both with managements and with Equity. Edric Connor was himself a major actor in films and on stage and the first Black actor to perform in Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon, as Gower in Pericles (1958). He and Pearl went on to found the Negro Theatre Workshop in 1963 which staged several plays in London and Senegal.

This was one of a number of initiatives by Black actors to take control of their work and give voice to their experiences. The 1950s and 1960s also saw productions on stage by increasing numbers of Caribbean writers, like Errol John, Michael Abbensetts and Barry Reckord, often also with productions on television and radio.

The 1970s and 1980s saw the emergence of new Black companies, as well as new writing companies like Foco Novo, and new venues like the Tricycle Theatre, Oval House in London, The Drum in Birmingham and The Nia Centre in Manchester. Based in Black neighbourhoods, they grew out of a desire by artists and communities to create and champion work that expressed their own experiences, and thus tackled racism and opened opportunities for people to become involved in the arts. They encouraged new work by Black playwrights, both through productions and workshops. Often the work of the younger playwrights dealt with issues of identity and generational conflict between Caribbean-born parents and British-born children. Find out more about published Black British playwrights.

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