14 Facts About Patricia Cumper

Patricia Cumper was the artistic director and CEO of Talawa Theatre Company from 2006 to 2012, and she has adapted novels for radio and television, including books by Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Andrea Levy, Zora Neale Hurston and Maya Angelou and others.

Patricia Cumper followed her parents to study at Cambridge University, for which she won a scholarship from The Queen's School in Kingston, to study Archaeology and Anthropology at Girton College.

Patricia Cumper has written a large number of plays both for the stage and radio, episodes of Westway, short stories, and a novel, One Bright Child, published in 1998.

Patricia Cumper began writing after watching a play of which she was critical, and being challenged to do better.

Patricia Cumper wrote a play called The Rapist, which ran for six months and won an award.

Patricia Cumper continued to write and produced plays, winning four awards for her work, which was produced in the Caribbean, the US and Canada.

Patricia Cumper moved to Britain in 1993 to pursue her career.

Patricia Cumper worked for the UK's largest Black-led theatre company, Talawa, from about 1999, as a writer, script reader, tutor, assistant director and dramaturge.

Patricia Cumper went on to become artistic director of Talawa Theatre Company in 2006 and stepped down in 2012, after overseeing their 25th anniversary season.

Patricia Cumper became a trustee of the British Museum in 2013.

Patricia Cumper is a contributor to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby.

Patricia Cumper has won awards for her radio drama, encompassing original works as well as adaptations of the work of other writers, including Andrea Levy, Alice Walker, Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison.

Patricia Cumper was runner-up in the inaugural BBC Screenplay First Award.

Patricia Cumper is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and in 2013 was awarded an MBE for services to Black British Theatre.