Afridiziak Theatre News interview with Bola Agbaje, Off the Endz
Words: Sophia A Jackson
Published February 26, 2010

Bola Agbaje’s debut play Gone Too Far was performed at the Royal Court in 2007 as part of their Young Writers Festival, and won an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement and was also nominated for Most Promising Playwright at the Evening Standard Awards. Her other work includes If Things Were Different, In Time, Anything You Can Do for Soho Theatre and Detaining Justice at the Tricycle Theatre.

Bola Agbaje’s new play Off the Endz opened at the Royal Court in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs on 19 February with a cast including Lorraine Burroughs, Daniel Francis and Ashley Walters (seen on BBC 1 in Andrea Levy’s Small Island).

Bola Agbaje’s second play for the Royal Court asks whether being out of the system might be just as good as being in it.

Congratulations on your continued success since your debut Gone too Far! (2008), followed by Detaining Justice and now you’re back a few months later with Off the Endz. Life must be pretty sweet right now. Is it?
Erm, yes and no. With success comes a lot of criticism. It’s about learning to juggle the two so I guess it’s half and half.

How do you cope with the pressure of press night and dealing with any negative reviews?
It is nerve wracking; it’s not just press night. It’s the whole run of the show. You also want people to relate to the play or get something from it so throughout the whole run I’m on edge until the last performance. From night to night it constantly changes and then you miss it and want to do it all again

Where do you get your inspiration from when writing plays?
I’m influenced by what’s around me, day to day experiences I’ve had or people close to me so I think for the moment that’s what I’m inspired by. That’s what I’m passionate about; I’m inspired by the stories of others. With Detaining Justice I had to go out and do research. In the beginning I had to speak to a lot of people. I’ve never had to do that before but with Detaining Justice I had to go and figure things out and learn about procedures for court cases and immigration but once I’d gathered the information it was fine. It was hard to convey a realistic story without being one sided – that was the hardest thing. It was a new experience. I learnt so much and it was interesting - like doing a project.

Tell me about Off the Endz?
It’s quite controversial – what people should get from it is that it’s about aspiration and choice. It’s about three people who want to get off the estate they live in. But with a recession it’s difficult for them to get the deposit together. As they are in that process here comes a new guy, a blast from the past who has just come out of prison and is staying at their house and influences Kojo. David’s the protagonist; he also aspires to getting out. The play is about their lives and how it crosses over, David, played by Ashley Walters, wants to get rich quick and do whatever he can to get the money. People should go and see it with an open mind.

In the Evening Standard, cultural critic, Lindsay Johns wrote a fairly critical piece about the ghettoisation of London’s black theatre (Black theatre is blighted by its ghetto mentality, 9 February, 2010). It was the spelling of the word ‘Endz’ in the title of your play, Off the Endz, that caused him to get on his soap box. Any comments?
When I first read it I thought I was under attack, he hadn’t seen my play, and he blindly went on a rant because of the way I spelt the word, it was an unfair piece, a lot of people felt it was unfair. It was a rant and he was complaining about what he didn’t know about, as an avid theatre goer he would realise that in 2009 there were so many stories that weren’t about the ghetto. It was a fantastic year. Ends with an ‘s’ doesn’t even exist in the dictionary. He doesn’t know who I am; I’ve written a range of different plays. It was a personal attack. What made me more upset, is that if my play was on at an unheard of theatre it wouldn’t be such a big deal but because it’s the Royal Court, it’s like people don’t want you to prosper, or aspire to anything. I’m trying to better myself, trying to pursue my dreams. I knew this play would be controversial but I was naive about people being so narrow minded. I thought they would be more open minded. I shouldn’t be dictated to about what I should and shouldn’t write about.

What was the thinking behind replacing the ‘s’ in ‘Ends’ with a ‘z’?
It’s a street terminology and a lot of young people talk about their ‘endz’ and spell it with a ‘z’. I think people shouldn’t be so closed minded about situations. I haven’t been judged in that way so it’s wrong for people to say this play is about the whole black community. I knew this would come but didn’t think there would be such a big fuss.

Has it knocked your confidence?
At first, I was really upset by it. I thought the community would be supportive. Just because you don’t want to see that subject matter, doesn’t mean that other people don’t. I come from a working class background and I’ve never limited myself. I know what I want and I’m going to get it and nothing is going to hold me back. I’m not saying my story is not as important as a black lawyer or black doctor but this is a story that I want to tell right now but in ten years time I may tell different stories.

How do you think theatre can reach out to young people who may think theatre’s not for them?
By making them feel inclusive. My play has bought in new audiences. We’re getting young people who have never been to Sloane Square before or even to the theatre. They are saying, finally I’ve seen something I can relate to. They come away with a different view about what theatre’s about - they might become future Shakespeare lovers. I know when a play is going well because I get new friend requests on Twitter and Facebook. There are people out there in the community who do want to hear this story. I grew up on north Peckham estate, I haven’t had the worse experiences or felt deprived because my parents bought me up in a way that I felt positive and that I can aspire to great things.

Being part of the three playwrights featured in the Tricycle Theatre’s Not Black and White Season must have been an overwhelmingly exciting experience for you. How did it feel to work so closely with Kwame Kwei Amah and Roy Williams?

We had three meetings together and then went to write our pieces, it was an honour to be amongst long standing playwrights and to be the only female chosen alongside Kwame and Roy. All plays were different, and the actors enjoyed it too.

Who do think are the trailblazers in black theatre - from playwrights to actors?
Roy Williams, Kwame Kwei Amah, Debbie tucker green, the list could go on.

What plays have you enjoyed reading and seeing over the past few years – which have made an impact on you?
Death and the King’s Horseman – I thought the ensemble cast were amazing. Iya lle, which has been nominated for an Olivier, Oludipo Agboluaje is an amazing writer, also. Black theatre is thriving and is getting bigger and better. We’re all different with different experiences. There’s a play for everyone in London. We don’t do this to white writers – if it’s not for you then go and see another play. I don’t mean it in a bad way but it’s a waste of energy to put people down. When I started writing it was because I thought there wasn’t anything for me so I wanted to talk about these things. We should stop moaning as a black race – just get on with it. That’s what I love about this generation – we’re go getters.