Exchange Talk: Seeing Yourself in the Play: Whose Role is it Anyway?

Actor and educator Mercy Ojelade opens up a conversation about the process of staging plays which directly address or ignore identity, exploring the questions that these texts raise and the onus out on directors and actors.

When a play directly addresses or ignores identity, what onus does this put on the actors and director? How does casting and the personal identities of the actors impact the meaning of the play? In this talk Mercy Ojelade draws on her experience as an actor and educator to open up a conversation about the challenges inherent in the subject of identity for the playwright, director and actor.

Using selected examples of plays from the past 20 years Mercy Ojelade explores topical conversations prevalent in the acting community today about the subject of identity and representation.

Mercy is a professional actor and arts education practitioner. A graduate of the University of Bath, the University of Birmingham, and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and the interim Associate Head of Acting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she is also the EDI Lead for the BA Acting degree programme. Mercy has worked in the performing arts and education for over 20 years nationally and internationally, working on stage and screen. Mercy teaches on the New Work module for BA Acting.