Amara Okereke
Amara Okereke | |
---|---|
Born | North Tyneside, England[1] | 27 November 1996
Alma mater | ArtsEd (BA) |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2012–present |
Amarachi Weruche A. Okereke (born 27 November 1996) is an English actress. She is known for her work in theatre.
Early life and education
[edit]Okereke was born in North Tyneside in 1996, the only daughter of two Nigerian medical professionals.[2] She grew up in Adel, Leeds[3] and attended the Grammar School at Leeds.[4] As a teenager, Okereke joined the National Youth Music Theatre. She went on to study at the Arts Educational School (ArtsEd) in West London, graduating in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in musical theatre.[5]
Career
[edit]In 2012, Okereke made her debut in the West End as a child actress, playing Cassie in 13 at the Apollo Theatre.[6] Upon graduating from ArtsEd in 2018, she returned to the West End and joined the cast of Les Misérables at the Queen's Theatre.[7] For her performance as Cosette, Okereke won Best Actress in a Musical at The Stage Debut Awards.[8][9]
This was followed by roles as Laurie in Oklahoma! at Chichester Festival Theatre,[10] Polly Browne in The Boy Friend at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2019,[11] and Wendla in Spring Awakening at the Almeida Theatre in 2021.[12]
In 2022, Okereke became the first black actress to star as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady in its West End revival at the London Coliseum, alongside Harry Hadden-Paton and Vanessa Redgrave.[13][14] For her performance, Okereke won the Black British Theatre Award for Outstanding Performance in a Musical.[15][16] That same year, she made her television debut as Becky Fox in the BBC Three horror series Red Rose and appeared in The Light in the Piazza at Alexandra Palace.[17][18]
Filmography
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | Red Rose | Becky Fox | 2 episodes |
2025 | In the Lost Lands | Melange | [19] |
TBA | The Morning After | Main role |
Stage
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | 13 | Cassie | Apollo Theatre, London |
2018–2019 | Les Misérables | Cosette | Queen's Theatre, London |
2019 | Oklahoma! | Laurie | Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester |
The Boy Friend | Polly Browne | Menier Chocolate Factory, London | |
2021 | Spring Awakening | Wendla | Almeida Theatre, London |
2022 | My Fair Lady | Eliza Doolittle | London Coliseum |
The Light in the Piazza | Clara Johnson | Alexandra Palace Theatre, London |
Awards and nominations
[edit]Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | The Stage Debut Awards | Best Actress in a Musical | Les Misérables | Won | [8][9] |
2019 | Black British Theatre Awards | Recent Graduate | Won | [20] | |
2022 | Outstanding Performance in a Musical | My Fair Lady | Won | [16] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Sunday in the Park with Amara Okereke". The Diary of a Theatre Kid. 19 October 2018. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ Lang, Kirsty (8 May 2022). "My Fair Lady — with the first black Eliza". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.(subscription required)
- ^ "Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards 2018: Here are the winners from the ceremony at Leeds United's Centenary Pavilion". Yorkshire Evening Post. 9 November 2018. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "Amara Okereke to play Eliza Doolittle". The Grammar School at Leeds. 29 March 2022. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "Inaugural Black British Theatre Award for 2018 Musical Theatre Graduate, Amara Okereke". ArtsEd. 29 October 2019. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "Jason Robert Brown stages NYMT concert at Apollo, 26 August". WhatsOnStage. 17 February 2012. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ Ryan, Anya (29 March 2022). "Introducing the new Eliza Doolittle, Amara Okereke, who is the star of the May issue". Tatler. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ a b "AMARA OKEREKE WINS AT THE DEBUT STAGE AWARDS!". The British Blacklist. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ a b "The Stage Debut Awards 2018: the winners in their own words". The Stage. 24 September 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Amara Okereke". TresA Magazine. 12 August 2019. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ Spivey, Madeleine (5 December 2019). "The Boy Friend at the Menier Chocolate Factory: watch Janie Dee, Adrian Edmondson and Amara Okereke on opening night". WhatsOnStage. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ "Five Questions With: Amara Okereke". Musical Theatre Review. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ Christi, AA (24 February 2022). "Amara Okereke, Harry Haddon-Paton and Vanessa Redgrave to Lead MY FAIR LADY West End". Broadway World. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ Thompson, Jessie (22 April 2022). "Amara Okereke interview: We're going to have a black Eliza Doolittle in the West End - it's phenomenal". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
- ^ TBB (2018-09-24). "Amara Okereke Wins at the Debut Stage Awards! | The British Blacklist". Retrieved 2024-09-20.
- ^ a b Wood, Alex (2022-10-16). "Black British Theatre Awards 2022 winners announced". WhatsOnStage. Archived from the original on 2023-06-15. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
- ^ Wood, Alex (8 September 2022). "Amara Okereke and Jordan Luke Gage join "The Light in the Piazza"". WhatsOnStage. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "Amara Okereke - My Fair Lady - London Coliseum". English National Opera. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (19 September 2024). "Vertical Acquires Paul W. S. Anderson's Fantasy Actioner 'In The Lost Lands' Starring Milla Jovovich & Dave Bautista". Deadline.
- ^ "Amara Okereke wins at the Debut Stage Awards!". The British Blacklist. 24 September 2018. Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
External links
[edit]- Amara Okereke at IMDb
- Amara Okereke at Independent Talent
- 1996 births
- Actresses from Leeds
- Actresses from Tyne and Wear
- Black British actresses
- English musical theatre actresses
- English people of Nigerian descent
- Living people
- People educated at the Arts Educational Schools
- People educated at the Grammar School at Leeds
- People from the Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside