{"id":9282,"date":"2021-09-14T22:21:24","date_gmt":"2021-09-14T22:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/?p=9282"},"modified":"2021-09-15T10:55:48","modified_gmt":"2021-09-15T10:55:48","slug":"omar-f-okai-interview-for-performers-stuff-pro-series-part-2-theater-and-racism-within","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/omar-f-okai-interview-for-performers-stuff-pro-series-part-2-theater-and-racism-within\/","title":{"rendered":"Omar F. Okai Interview for Performers Stuff Pro Series: Part 2- Theater and Racism within"},"content":{"rendered":"

Omar F. Okai Interview for Performers Stuff Pro Series: Part 2- Theater and Racism within<\/strong><\/h3>\n \"\"<\/a><\/span>

Written by:\u00a0Mark Pawsey<\/p>\n

September 14, 2021<\/p>\n<\/font>

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Performer Stuff Pro Series host Mark Pawsey catches up once again with Omar F. Okai, currently in production for Disney\u2019s Bedknobs & Broomsticks\u00a0on which he is Resident Director. Mark and Omar met over 30 years ago when they were both working on King \u2013 The Martin Luther King Musical at the Piccadilly Theatre in London\u2019s West End. Listen to Omar talk about how it was to be a young black dancer starting his performance career in the early 90s and how he sees it now some 30 years later from the perspective of a successful Choreographer and Director who has worked on over 90 productions to date. What has changed for black artists, and what still needs to change?<\/p>\n

If you missed it, you can also watch part one,\u00a0Omar F. Okai Interview for Performers Stuff Pro Series: Part 1- From being a Performer to running a successful Theater Company<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Meet Choreographer and Director Omar F. Okai<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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OMAR F. OKAI<\/strong><\/p>\n

OMAR F. OKAI is the Co-Director\/Founder\/ of the Black British Theatre Awards (#BBTAS), who’s inaugural ceremony was October 2019. He is also the Artistic Director of The Okai Collier Company for over 20 years.<\/p>\n

He has directed\/choreographed internationally, France, Spain, Germany and Shanghai and of course Britain, over 90 productions, videos and documentary. Productions included are\u00a0Five Guys Named Moe, Cabaret, Rent, Annie, Peter Pan, Elegies for Angel\u2019s, Punks and Raging Queens,\u00a0Smiling State, Honk!, Assassins’\u00a0<\/em>(Mountview Theatre School)\u00a0Best Little Whorehouse in Texas\u00a0<\/em>(Performance Preparation Academy)\u00a0Sweet Charity<\/em>. He is also an International Musical Theatre Examiner for Urdang International. This year sees Omar returning to Shanghai to direct\u00a0Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jnr, Honk,\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Once On This Island<\/em>. In his own right Omar is an accomplished west end performer, credits are\u00a0King<\/em>,\u00a0Five Guys Named Moe\u00a0<\/em>(original cast),\u00a0Sweet Charity,\u00a0My One and Only, Honk!,\u00a0Candide\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Villains Opera.<\/em><\/p>\n

He is also an experienced performing arts teacher in dance and drama and has taught in vast array of performing arts schools. Omar is also in preparation for his own penned musical Celia going into workshop.<\/p>\n

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WATCH:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Omar F. Okai Interview for Performers Stuff Pro Series: Part 2- Theater and Racism within<\/strong><\/h4>\n