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Sancho: An Act of Remembrance

Sancho: An Act of Remembrance
Conceived, written and performed by Paterson Joseph
Co-Directed by: Simon Godwin
Music and Sound Design by: Ben Park
Set Design by: Michael Vale
Lighting Design by: Lucrecia Briceno

Presented in partnership with Warfield Center for African and African American Studies and The Texas Tribune

This performance supported in part by the Topfer Endowment for Performing Arts Production.

Charles Sancho Ignatius was born on a slave ship but never a slave; he was immortalized by the great English painter Thomas Gainsborough, and in 1774 became the first British-African to cast a vote. In this endlessly revealing, often funny one-man show, celebrated Royal Shakespeare Company actor Paterson Joseph (HBO’s The Leftovers) inhabits the curious, daringly determined life of Sancho—composer, social satirist, general man of refinement—while casting new light on the often misunderstood narratives of African-British experience.

Mr. Joseph has created a detailed portrait of a man who was an interested witness to the events of his day and who helped, however slightly, to shape them.

The New York Times

https://youtu.be/

Sancho: An Act of Remembrance Trailer from Texas Performing Arts on YouTube.

Fun Facts:

  • Sancho marks Paterson Joseph's first play as a writer.
  • In 1991, Paterson Joseph won second prize in the Ian Charleson Awards—which honor the best classical stage performances in Britain by actors under age 30—for his performances at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
  • Paterson Joseph had never heard of Ignatius Sancho until 2007 when he read historian Gretchen Gerzina’s book, Black England.
  • In 1774 Sancho became the first black person of African origin to vote in Britain.
  • Paterson Joseph’s TV credits include Casualty, Peep Show, Dr. Who, Law & Order: UK, The Leftovers, and Timeless. His film roles include The Beach, Æon Flux and The Other Man.