The Story of 'M'

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Description

The Story of M is a solo performance that integrates visual projections and poetic language to portray autobiographical stories of racism, poverty and sacrifice. While sitting in a white screened hospital ward and as slides of family photographs flash all around her, SuAndi travels from the multi-racial Liverpool of the 1920s to life in Britain in the mid-nineties.

Commissioned by the Institute for Contemporary Arts in 1995, The Story of M has received great critical acclaim in both the United States and Great Britain. The Story of M is SuAndi's moving tribute to the life and death of her mother who raised her children in the face of frequent racism 1960s but never let them forget they were of African descent and to be proud of their heritages.

The Story of 'M' is on the new A-levels English Literature syllabus - with a Black British list offered by EdExcel Examination Board (2017).

Reviews

SuAndis work has global range, vision and appeal. Razorsharp and humorous yet tender and poignant, her writing spans decades. SuAndi is like a lonely long-distance runner who shuns the zeitgeist yet stands the test of time. The Story of M remains a classic. The work reveals one of her most admired skills: capturing extraordinary voices in everyday settings. -- Corinne Fowler, Director of the Centre for New Writing at the University of Leicester
a ground-breaking example of monodrama in modern Black theatre Through its mixing of theatrical elements and performance registers, this moving and inspiring work bears testimony not only to an individual life but through this to Black experience and the authenticity of mixed-race identity -- Mick Wallis and Simon Shepherd, Studying Plays 4th edition

Author Bio

SuAndi was born in Hulme, Manchester, with absolutely no aspirations to be a writer - though at an early age she joined a dancing school and had dreams of a life not as the first Black ballet dancer, but as a contemporist. She literally walked into the arts as a model, the poet was quick to follow, and since 1985 she has expanded her portfolio of work into diverse locations, from galleries to public artwork. She is the freelance Cultural Director of Black Arts Alliance, a recipient of a NESTA Dreamtime award, and in 1999 she was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Honours list for her contributions to the Black Arts Sector.