Rikki Beadle-Blair

origin.

Early life

He was brought up by his single mother, Monica Beadle (born 1944), a counsellor and unionist who is also gay.Fact|date=February 2008 She was born in Jamaica and moved to Britain when she was 12. She was the first black child in her school in Peckham.

Rikki was brought up with a brother, Gary (also an actor, of Eastenders fame), 4 years younger, and a sister, Carleen, 8 years younger. He attended Lois Thompson nee Acton's Experimental Bermondsey Lampost Free School. He initially wanted to be a novelist, but wrote his first play aged 7 and started directing aged 11.Fact|date=February 2008 He has a half-brother Nathan (born 1989) and sister Nia (born 1996) from a later relationship of his mother's.

Career

The BBC current affairs television programme, "Nationwide", made a documentary about Beadle-Blair when he was a child performer in Bermondsey, south London, in the 1970s.Fact|date=February 2008

When he was 17 he did a cappella concerts at the "Gay's The Word" bookshop in Bloomsbury, London, with fellow singers Robert Chevara and Michelle Baughan. The group went under the name of 'Three People'. He was also involved with the Gay Liberation Front (GLF).

Beadle-Blair has worked as a dancer, a cabaret artist, a rock musician, an actor, a choreographer, and a director. He has performed worldwide,Fact|date=February 2008 and has written plays for BBC Radio 4 and Channel 4 television. In the film Sirens he played Blue, a punky Scouse heroin junkie.

His Band 'Boysie' was a fixture on the 80's gig circuit.Fact|date=February 2008

In 1994, Beadle-Blair wrote the screenplay for Nigel Finch's film "Stonewall", about the Stonewall Riots. This won the audience award at the London Film FestivalFact|date=February 2008 and the San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Film FestivalFact|date=February 2008.

In 1999 Beadle-Blair wrote "Native", a Radio 4 play that became an award-winning Short film directed by Rene Mohandas.

In 2000 Beadle-Blair wrote and performed a series of short radio plays for Radio 4 - including 'Fares Fair', 'Puppy Love', 'Finders Keepers', 'Silly Me' and 'Open Pores'.

In 2001 he adapted Boy George's autobiography "Take It Like A Man" for a BBC film. This has not yet been produced.

In March 2001, he wrote, produced, and directed the Channel 4 television series "Metrosexuality" in which he also played a lead role. This also featured Noel Clarke, who went on to write and star in the movie Kidulthood. Beadle-Blair co-wrote and co-produced the soundtrack album with Mark Hawkes. On the album he sings a duet with Davie Fairbanks who played "Bambi" in the series. Noel Clarke contributes two raps to the album, which also features a track performed by Mat Fraser.

The same year, he hosted the Big Up Yourself And Be Proud show at The Brixtonian during Mardi Gras Festival in aid of GMFA, a London based gay men's health charity whose Big Up innitiative (targeting black men), he is supporting.

In 2002, his documentary "Roots of Homophobia", for BBC Radio 4 won the Sony Radio Academy Awards for Best Radio Feature. There he brings his own experience as a gay black man to inform his investigation into homophobic attitudes in Jamaican pop music.

He was the Executive story editor for both seasons of the US TV series "Noah's Arc' He was also a writer on season two (credited for eps 2 & 4)

He was supervising director for the South African organisation for first time filmmakers "Out of Africa". in 2004 and 2005

Beadle-Blair has recently taken up photography. He generally takes the publicity/poster shots for his productions. He has written songs for Kevin Marques. His Theatre company, "Team Angelica", is resident at the Tristan Bates Theatre in Covent Garden, London.

In 2005, Beadle-Blair wrote and directed the play 'Bashment' for Theatre Royal Stratford East, this tackled homophobia in the Ragga/hip-hop music scene. The play ran two seasons in May and September. Beadle-Blair also wrote the music. The play was nominated for "Best New Play" at the national TMA awards.

Beadle-Blair has adapted his own Screenplay of "Stonewall" for the stage and his production company Team Angelica which he took to the 2007 Edinburgh Festival. He also directed, produced, designed both sets & costumes, & choreographed on the show. The play was nominated for "Best Ensemble" at The Stage Awards for Acting Excellence. [http://www.thestage.co.uk/edinburgh/awards]

In May 2006, Beadle-Blair wrote and directed 'Jucy' for Queer Contact at the Contact Theatre in Manchester, as part of the Queer Up North Festival

In May 2007, Beadle-Blair hosted a night of Queer Hip-Hop for Queer Contact at the Contact Theatre in Manchester, as part of the Queer Up North Festival

In Autumn, 2007, "FIT", a play for young people commissioned by the Manchester-based arts organisation [http://www.queerupnorth.com queerupnorth] and the gay equality organisation Stonewall, went on tour around the UK. The play was developed to help tackle homophobic bullying in Britain's schools. [http://www.queerupnorth.com/news_detail.php?ID=562] The play was performed at the The Drill Hall in London, The Birmingham Rep, The Contact Theatre in Manchester, the Unity Theatre in Liverpool, and the CCA in Glasgow. The show was also performed in Schools in London, Greater Manchester, Bournemouth, Brighton & Glasgow.

Beadle-Blair, directed, choreographed, composed and wrote the show. Davie Fairbanks remixed the main theme music. The Cast was Ludvig Bonin, Sasha Frost, Steven Clarke, Jack Shalloo, Duncan MacInnes, Lydia Toumasou and Rikki Beadle-Blair. The lighting designer and Company Manager was Rob Armstrong.

Beadle-Blair's 'painful comedy play 'Familyman' opened for a month at Theatre Royal Stratford East in May 2008 - the lead Role of 'Caesar Ramsay' was being played by Gary Beadle, his brother. the cast also included Team Angelica members Aaron Taylor, Jo Castleton along with llewella Gideon, Jo Martin, Ricci McLeod and Ayesha Antoine. It was directed by Dawn Reid. The play received mostly favourable reviews, including 'Show of the Week' for Time Out.

In May 2008 - Beadle-Blair directed 'Best Man' by Greg Owen at the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. Greg Owen won the Oscar Wilde Award for New Writing. The play was developed under the Team Angelica umbrella.

Beadle-Blair previewed a trio of new plays in June 2008, Screwface - about nine teenage murderers in a prison drama workshop, Touch - centred around gay life in Iraq today, and Home - which looked at teenagers emerging from the care system into their own accommodation and sperm donor offspring who are searching for their siblings.

Beadle-Blair has a long-standing creative association with fellow writer, John R Gordon, who was also a writer for Noah's Arc. Beadle-Blair Directed John's first short film script 'Souljah' (2007) Which premiered in the London Film Festival and is currently touring the Film Festival circuit. He also appeared in John first play 'Wheels of Steel', Which John R Gordon directed. The two-hander also featured Karl Collins - who went on to play Beadle-Blair's Ex-husband 'Jordan' in Metrosexuality.

Beadle-Blair has helped to develop new work by playwrights, Matt Harris, Jai Rajani, John R. Gordon, Greg Owen.

Beadle-Blair regularly teaches a six-week course at the Actor's Centre called 'In the Room' that mentors Actors and creatives. Directing to re-examine their working methods and maximize their creative, career and personal potential.

In June 2008 Beadle-Blair was included in the Independent On Sunday newspaper's 'Pink List' as one of the UK's most powerful/influential gay people.

In July 2008 -Beadle-Blair's short film souljah won the award for best short film at the Rushes Soho Shorts festival. Written by John Gordon and produced by Beadle-Blair, Gordon and Carleen Beadle.

Plays

His plays include:Home Tristan Bates Theatre (June 2008)Touch Tristan Bates Theatre (June 2008)Screwface Tristan Bates Theatre (June 2008)'Familyman' Theatre Royal Stratford East (May 2008, directed by Dawn Reid)
*"FIT" (2007) National Tour - currently being adapted for film.
*"Stonewall" (2006/7) - stage adaptation of the BBC filmTaken In (2005) Set in a halfway house for homeless youths.
*"Bashment" (2005) - explores the controversy around dancehall reggae music and the consequences of homophobic lyrics - Theatre Royal Stratford East
*"Totally Practically Naked In My Room On A Wednesday Night" (2005) - a night in the life of 17 year old Dylan, desperate to lose his virginity.
*the "South London Passion Plays" trilogy ("Gutted", "Laters" and "Sweet") (2004) Tristan Bates Theatre
*"Captivated" (1997) - the story of a gay black man imprisoned for murder. Shane corresponds with an Asian pen pal who writes him as an act of charity. Shane’s self-hatred turns into a soul-searching journey from cockiness to agonized self-reflection, and finally ultimate gratitude for his unseen friend. This was releaed on video (now deleted) Directed by David Squire'Ask and Tell' - Homosexuality and the Army.'

Four one hour ensemble plays'Exposures"Street Art"The Grope Box"Fucking Charlie'

'Below the Radar' A straight guy/gay guy pair of roommates and their sexual misadventures in New Orleans.
*"Human" - Two terminally ill cancer patients get together for a final riotous love affair.
*"Prettyboy" Described as a 'Dogma Style Musical" at the Oval House Theatre.
*"Gunplay" (He did not direct)
*"Wild At Heart" Riverside Studios (1988)

He directed and appeared in Matt Harris's comedy play 'Venom' at the Oval house '2003'

He directed the staged readings of Jai Rajani's 'onenight.com' at the Tristan Bates and the Contact Theatre Manchester in 2007

External links and Sources

* [http://www.myspace.com/rikkibeadleblair Personal MySpace]
* [http://www.myspace.com/teamangelica Team Angelica MySpace]
*imdb name|id=0086333|name=Rikki Beadle-Blair
* [http://www.rainbownetwork.com/Culture/detail.asp?iData=23542&iChannel=15&nChannel=Culture Interview on Rainbow Network] - 6 June 2005
* [http://www.knittingcircle.org.uk/rikkibeadleblair.html Profile on Knitting Cricle]
* [http://www.pinktink.250x.com/misc/rikkiBB.htm Rikki Beadle-Blair on ‘Metrosexuality’]
* [http://www.closermagazine.com/v1/cl8/theater.html interview in Closer Magazine] - April 2002 ?
* [http://www.tristanbatestheatre.co.uk Tristan Bates Theatre]
* [http://www.globalgayz.com/jamaica-news99-02.html script of "Roots of Homophobia"] (scroll down to No 6)
* [http://arts.independent.co.uk/theatre/features/article2836626.ece Interview of Beadle-Blair in the Independent] - August 2007
* [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/edinburgh2007/story/0,,2152452,00.html Interview of Beadle-Blair in the Guardian] - August 2007