Windrush Education & Performance Programme Ahead of Its Time
V Jay Theatre Productions ‘Educates & Celebrates’ People Through Storytellin’ About Black British History, Usin’ Stories, Music & Movement, Plays &Poetry, Film & Family, All From ‘The Global Majority Community’.
VJay Theatre Productions & Educational Packages
VJay Theatre Productions Is Dedicated To Teachin’ Through Theatre And Runnin’ Regular Drama & Expression Workshops Designed To Encourage ‘Education & Learnin’ Through Performance.
The Company Works With Different Generations And Organisations And Has Established An Educational Package Which Can Be Adapted To Suit Different Audiences And To Present Different Performances.
The Package Includes Film And Television Presentations, Books & Book Readings, Plays, Poetry, Music & Movement. Plus Question And Answer Sessions. And The Company Works All Around The Globe Includin’ England, Japan, And Gambia, Which of Course Encompasses Three Different Continents. Performances & Drama & Poetry Workshops Are Presented In Different Establishments From Churches, To Schools To Community Centres With Special Workshops For Seniors. And He Has Worked Within Different Media Platforms Such As TV, Radio & Cinema. And Has Even Played The Character ‘Horse’ In A Stage Version of The Hit Film & Now Cancer Awareness Programme Fronted By Diversity Leader Ashley Banjo “The Full Monty”.
Founder & Actor ~ Victor Richards
The Company Was Set Up By Caribbean British Actor, Author, Producer, Poet & Director Victor Richards. The Production Company Provides Mutual Multi-level Job Satisfaction For Victor & His Clients Because He Loves The Art of Performin,’ He Loves To Teach Through Performance, And His Encouragement & Education of Others, Empowers Them To Build Their Confidence And Express Themselves Through Their Own Various Performances Too. Indeed Richards Prides Himself On Teachin’ His Audience Particpants Life Skills Which They Can Use Forever.
He Has A Diploma In The Performin’ Arts And Has Been Actin’ Ever Since Leavin’ Sandfield Drama College In Nottingham In 1996, Some 25 Years Ago. He Is A Statuesque Man, With An Authorative Voice, And A Naturally Commandin’ Presence. Classically Tall Dark And Handsome He Is An Experienced Fashion Model, Choreographer And TV Regular. He Has Appeared In Various TV Dramas Includin’ Casualty And Worked A Number of Different Times With The BBC Documentin’ Black History. It Began In 2008 When He Took Part In A Black History Month Programme Produced By The Channel And A 2009 Special Which Filmed Him Re-enactin’ The Journey From The West Indies To Tilbury, England Via The Now Infamous British Ship The Windrush, As Taken By Hundreds of First-Generation West Indian Families In The Late 40s, Post WWII.
He Has Written A Very Distinct Trilogy of Plays And A Trilogy of Poetic Verses Based On Those Plays. He Also Regularly Produces Instructional Videos And Posts Media Clips Centred Around Sharin’ His Craft, Helpin’ Others And Promotin’ The Arts. His Recurrin’ Theme Is Black British History. This Includes A Spoken Word Reggae Album Called “Illusion”, A Book Called The Poetry Trilogy, And His Most Famous Play ‘Streets Paved With Gold’ (SPWG). This One Man Tourin’ Play Was First Performed In 1996 And Began Production As A Film In 2018 To Commemorate The Windrush Arrivals In 1948 (www.SPWGmovie.com). This Together With Return To The Caribbean, And Children of The First Generation Forms Part of His Special Play Trilogy.
Continuin’ To Perform & “Beatin’ The Drum” For Social Justice Reform
His Main Performance Vechicle Is His Alter Ego DJ Augustus Cleveland Johnson (Aka DJ Augustus), Who ‘s Autobiographical Story Recounts His Journey From The Caribbean To Britian Via The Windrush Ship That Brought Commonwealth Citizens To The Home of Empire To Help Rebuild It, Post WWII. This Play Sees Him Reveal Stories of Racism, Discrimination, And Disappointment. Victor Accents His Actin’ Skills By Showin’ His Character Agein’ Throughout The Play. But Due To The Fortitude of His African Caribbean Spirit Ultimately It Is A Tale of Perseverance, Triumph And A Lastin’ Legacy.
His Dedication Means Richards Has Featured In The Nomination, Presentation, And Receipt of Various Awards Durin’ The Course of His Career:
- BUFF (British Urbun Film Festival) Honorary Award Recipient 2021 On Behalf of His Friend The Late Producer & Director Menelik Shabazz & His Family
- BEFFTA Legend Award Winner 2018
- BUFF Award Nominee 2017 ~ Spoken Word ‘Music Video’ ~ Streets Paved With Gold
- Windrush Achievement Award Finalist 1997
Ahead of His Time
In Some Respects Victor Richards Was Ahead of His Time And Ironically Sometimes, When That Happens Get Left Behind. However, The Work of V Jay Theatre Productions VJayTheatre.Net Has Become Very Topical In The Post Floyd Social Justice Reform Era And Maybe It’s Time For This Leadin’ Light To Shine Even More Brightly.
Founder Victor Roberts Has Always Performed The Company’s Educational Workshops For The Love of It & His Belief In Storytellin’ For The Good of Community, Culture, & Cohesion. Now There Are Serious National Curriculum Conversations & Developments Concernin The Teachin of Black British History Lessons & Incorporation of Black Literature Into The UK National Syllabus. TheBlackCurriculum.Com
Meantime, Bohemia Media, Through Bohemia Euphoria, Along With Buff Connects, Facilitates The Screenin’ of Diverse Films & Productions (www.BritishUrbanFilmAwards.co.uk) At The Time of Arrangin ‘For Him To Collect The Award on Behalf of Menelik, Emmanuel, Founder of BUFF, Discussed With Victor, Founder of V Jay Theatre Productions, Doin’ A Follow Up Interview About The Relationship Between The Two Film Friends. So Watch This Space!
Followin’ His Spoken Word Music Video BUFF 2017 Nomination For ,Streets Paved With Gold’ (See Video Directly Above) Victor Was Recently At BUFF Again On Fri Dec 10 2021, Receivin’ An Honorary Award On Behalf of Late Film Producer Menelik Shabazz Who Passed Away In June 2021. Visibly Moved To Tears On Posthumously Receivin’ The Honour On Behalf of His Beloved Film Friend He Shared with The Audience That Menelik Wanted People To “Keep Beatin’ The Drum” For Social Justice Reform, Humanity, Equality & Inclusion.
” Keep Beatin’ The Drum! “
The Late Menelik shabazz
New Books & Plays On The Block
Durin’ The Lockdown Lift of Summer 2021 We Reviewed Three Very Different Plays By Three Different Black Playwrights Each of Which We Suggested Should Feature On The School Curriculum Because of Their Poignant Black British History. These Were:-
Hymn’ (Written By Lola Chakrabarti)
And Breathe (Written By
Rockets & Blue Lights’ (Written By Winsome Pinnock)
Since Then It Has Been Announced By The OCR (One of The Main GCSE Examination Boards In Britian) That One of Winsome Pinnock’s Other Plays;
‘Leave Taking’
Will Be Studied By English Literature Students As Part of The A Level School Syllabus.
It Seems Top Marks To Them Are In Order.
Dickens, Shakespeare. Eyre & Pinnock. Amen! Let’s Keep Beatin’ The Drum!
Written By The Royal Society of Literature Playwright & Screenwriter, Winsome Pinnock, Published By Nick Hearn Books, And Staged At The National Theatre Summer 2021 (After Staging At The Royal Exchange Manchester Was Brought To A Halt By The Spring Lockdown In 2020), Rockets & Blue Lights Is Also Worthy of Scholarly Study At School, As Stated In Our Review At The Time.
Meantime Pinnock’s “Leave Taking” And Everisto’s “Girl, Woman, Other” Also Lead The Way.
Rockets & Blue Lights: By Winsome Pinnock. An Exceptional Great & Powerful & Painful Important Historical Black British Play. The Programme Alone Is A Masterclass History Class. Leave Taking: By Winsome Pinnock. Added To The English Literature GCSE Syllabus. Effective From September 2022 As Announced By Examination & Qualification Board OCR (Oxford, Cambridge & The Royal College of Art). Girl Woman Other: By Bernadine Evaristo Is Also Added To English Literature Syllabus At A’Level Standard. (Everisto Is The First Black Woman To Win A Booker Prize, Thereby Makin’ Black British History In 2019 With This Book).
V Jay Theatre Productions Were Possibly Ahead of Their Time And Now With British Society Finally Ready To Have Deeper Discussions About The Importance of Black History Being Recognised As British History Maybe It’s About Time Today’s More Enlightened Contemparary Schools, Education Centres & Theatres Learn A New Trick or Two From Them. The Power of Actin’ & Expression Workshops, Role Play And Learnin’ From Performance & From The Past Are Subjects On Which They Could Give A Very Special Valuable Lesson.
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