T-Bone Wilson

T-Bone Wilson
Born
Guyana
EducationMountview Theatre School
OccupationsActor, dramatist, poet

T-Bone Wilson is a Guyanese-British actor, dramatist and poet.

Life

Wilson came to England from Guyana in 1962 as an engineering student. Deciding to take up drama, he trained at the Mountview Theatre School. Wilson acted in Mustapha Matura's series of short plays, Black Pieces, staged by Roland Rees at the ICA in 1970. Wilson was inspired to become a playwright himself, writing Jumbie Street March, Body and Soul (1974) and Come Jubilee (1977). Jumbie Street March was produced by the Dark and Light Theatre Company.

As a theatre actor, Wilson performed in the National Theatre's 1981 production of Measure for Measure, the first main-stage Shakespeare by a national theatre company to employ a majority of ethnic minority actors. He played Banquo in a 1984 production of Macbeth at the Young Vic Theatre.

Wilson appeared in the 1979 television drama A Hole in Babylon, based on events leading up to the 1975 Spaghetti House siege. He also appeared in Franco Rosso's 1980 film Babylon, which portrayed sound system culture and racism in Brixton.

Writing

Poetry

Plays

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1975 Pressure Junior Released 1978
1977 Black Joy Shark
1980 Babylon Wesley
1982 Prime Suspect 2

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1976 The Melting Pot
1979 Play for Today Frank Davies Series 10, Episode 7 "A Hole in Babylon"

Stage

Year Title Role Venue Notes Ref.
1970s Jumbie Street March Keskidee Arts Centre Also playwright
1981 Measure for Measure First Gentleman National Theatre, Lyttelton Theatre
1984 Macbeth Banquo Young Vic Theatre

References

  1. 1 2 Procter, James (2002). "Wilson, T-Bone". In Alison Donnell (ed.). Companion to Contemporary Black British Culture. Routledge. pp. 71–2. ISBN 978-1-134-70025-7.
  2. ↑ "T-Bone Wilson". British Black and Asian Shakespeare Database. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  3. ↑ Billington, Michael (1 November 2019). "Mustapha Matura obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  4. ↑ Megson, Chris (2012). Modern British Playwriting: The 1970s: Voices, Documents, New Interpretations. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 57. ISBN 978-1-4081-2939-5.
  5. ↑ "T Bone Wilson | Biography". Black Plays Archive. National Theatre. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  6. ↑ Davis, Geoffrey V. (2006). Staging New Britain: Aspects of Black and South Asian British Theatre Practice. Peter Lang. p. 50. ISBN 978-90-5201-042-7.
  7. 1 2 "Measure for Measure (1981)". British Black and Asian Shakespeare Database. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Macbeth (1984)". British Black and Asian Shakespeare Database. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  9. ↑ Bourne, Stephen (2005). Black in the British Frame: The Black Experience in British Film and Television. A&C Black. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-8264-7898-6.
  10. ↑ Newland, Paul (2010). "We Know Where We're Going, We Know Where We're From: Babylon". In Paul Newland (ed.). Don't Look Now: British Cinema in the 1970s. Intellect Books. p. 98. ISBN 978-1-84150-389-9.
  11. ↑ "Counterblast". Library search: Goldsmiths, University of London. London: Goldsmiths, University of London. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  12. ↑ "Body and Soul". Black Plays Archive. London: National Theater. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  13. ↑ "Come Jubilee". Black Plays Archive. London: National Theater. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  14. ↑ "Poster by Oscar Zarete". Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  15. ↑ British Film Institute. "Pressure". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  16. ↑ British Film Institute. "Black Joy". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  17. ↑ British Film Institute. "Babylon". Collections Search BFI. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  18. ↑ "A Hole in Babylon". Mubi. London: Mubi. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  19. ↑ Wambu, Onyekachi. "Hole in Babylon, A (1979)". BFI Screenonline. London: BFI. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  20. ↑ "Jumbie Street March". Black Plays Archive. London: National Theatre. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  21. ↑ "JLR/2/5/3 Keskidee Centre, 1971-1979". Catalogue George Padmore Institute. London: George Padmore Institute. Retrieved 13 September 2025.