Natasha Delia Letitia GordonMBE (born 1976) is a British playwright of Jamaican heritage. In 2018, after a career as an actor, she made her debut as a playwright with the play Nine Night, becoming the first black British female playwright to have a play staged in the West End.[1]
Life
Natasha Gordon was born in North London in 1976 to parents who were both migrants from Jamaica.[2] Her grandparents had arrived in London from Jamaica by boat as part of the so-called Windrush generation in the late 1950s. Her mother joined them in 1963, where she found work, a Jamaican-born husband, and a comforting West Indian community.[2]
Gordon's debut play, Nine Night, premiered at London's National Theatre in April 2018[3] and received critical acclaim.[4] It later transferred to London's Trafalgar Studios on 1 December, marking a historic moment as Gordon became the first black British female playwright to have a play in the West End.[5][6] In a profile by Guardian newspaper, Gordon explained that the "nine night" ritual of gathering to eat, drink and share stories helped her connect with her family's past and served as inspiration for her first play. She also mentioned the deportation threats faced by many of the Windrush generation as a catalyst for her to delve deeper into her grandparents' challenges.[2] The success of the play led to Gordon winning the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright in 2018.[7]
^Billington, Michael; Soloski, Alexis; Love, Catherine; Fisher, Mark; Wiegand, Chris (17 September 2019). "The 50 best theatre shows of the 21st century". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 February 2021.