S2 Ep3: Absence of North African voices in British Theatre/Arts

Tell Dem

For Episode Three we have Algerian-British storyteller, Roann Hassani McCloskey in the host seat. Joining Roann is actor, singer and voice over artist Nadia Nadif, and together they explore the absence of North African voices in the Arts sector - in particular those of the Maghreb. They delve into the world of British Theatre and the lack of North African stories available to us on those stages. The conversation also takes a deeper look into Disney+ series Oussekine, the first major Algerian production on a mainstream streaming platform.
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ROANN MCCLOSKEY
Roann McCloskey is an Algerian-British storyteller. Her work includes her 2019 award-winning sell-out, one-woman show, My Father the Tantric Masseur – an autobiographical exploration of sexuality, sexual trauma and familial relationships. Her second show, Who Murdered My Cat? shines a light on memory, its inconsistencies and its power in forming our identities. She is currently writing a semi-autobiographical comedy-drama TV series Lights, Camera, Couscous in which her Algerian mother, who informs so much of her creative work, has the starring role.
2021 saw Roann chosen for BBC London voices, participating in SAFAR film school for emerging Arab Filmmakers as well as having a piece on collective healing published in Dardishi's Zine.
Roann's writing finds the heart and humour that runs through tragedy, and centres around her curiosity and passion for bringing stories usually left at the margins to the centre where they belong.
Roann is an educational facilitator focussing on anti-oppression pedagogy and accountability. She also works as a script consultant and production challenger.
NADIA NADIF
Nadia Nadif is English, Irish and Moroccan. She grew up in Colchester, Casablanca and Hull, which is where she did her Drama degree, and trained with National Youth Theatre.
Screen includes EastEnders, Comic Relief Sketches, The Secret World of Yarl’s Wood, Marshal’s Law (nominated for best sitcom) and Pusher. Stage includes Heroes (Vault Festival, nominated for Outstanding New Work), Sundowning (Kali Theatre), The Scar Test (Soho Theatre), Macbeth (Voila Festival), Timon of Athens (Willow Globe Theatre), Catalina (Ovalhouse / Colchester Arts Centre), Unsung (Wilton’s Music Hall) and New Anatomies (BAC).
In addition to her career as an actor, singer and voice over, Nadia runs Untold Arts – a theatre and production company focussing on true stories from marginalised people, from history and the present day. So far they have produced three new works – Lady Unknown by Lauren Johnson which had a sell-out run at the Dickens Museum, The Scar Test by Hannah Khalil which toured regionally and then transferred to Soho Theatre and was published by Methuen Drama, and Catalina by Hassan Abdulrazzak which, following successful runs at Ovalhouse and Colchester Arts Centre, is now being developed into a feature film with IFT Studios and the BFI. She is also an associate with NYT, HistoryRiot, The Factory and Althea Theatre.