Ade Solanke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adeola Solanke
Solanke in 2020 discussing the anthology New Daughters of Africa, to which she contributed.
Born	London, UK
Other names	Ade Solanke
Education	University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts; Goldsmiths, University of London; University of Sheffield
Occupation	Playwright, screenwriter, arts journalist
Employer	University of Greenwich
Notable work	Pandora's Box (2012); East End Boys, West End Girls (2015)

Adeola Solanke, also known as Ade Solanke, is a talented writer from Britain. She writes plays for the stage and scripts for movies and TV shows. She is famous for her first play, Pandora's Box. This play was shown at the Arcola Theatre in 2012. It was even nominated for an award as the Best New Play.

Ade Solanke also wrote for the BBC Radio show Westway. She also wrote the Nigerian movie Dazzling Mirage (2014). She started a company called Spora Stories. This company creates exciting stories for plays and films. Their goal is to share the amazing stories of people from the African diaspora. Before becoming a full-time writer, Ade Solanke worked as a journalist. She also worked in radio and television.

Early Life and School Days

Ade Solanke was born in London, England. Her parents were from Nigeria. She grew up with her three sisters in areas of London called Ladbroke Grove and Notting Hill.

She went to the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. There, she earned a special degree in screenwriting. She was a Fulbright Scholar, which is a scholarship for students to study abroad. She also studied creative writing at Goldsmiths, University of London. She has a degree in English literature from the University of Sheffield.

Ade Solanke's Career Journey

Ade Solanke started her career by reviewing movie scripts. She worked for big Hollywood companies like Sundance and Disney. Her first movie script, Femi's Thirtieth, did very well in writing contests in Los Angeles. Her second script, Finishing School, also reached the semi-finals of a major contest.

For many years, she wrote articles for newspapers and magazines. These included The Guardian and The Times Literary Supplement. In 1988, she started her own company called Tama Communications. This company helped with writing and publicity. It was recognized as an "outstanding enterprise" and won an award in 1989.

Ade Solanke has also taught writing at many universities. These include Goldsmiths, University of London, and the Pan-African University in Lagos, Nigeria. In 2015, she became a senior lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Greenwich.

She was part of the writing team for the BBC drama series Westway. In 2009, she wrote a film called Family Legacy. This film was about people living with sickle-cell disease. It was shown on TV in the UK, USA, and West Africa. More than 12 million people saw it. She then wrote the script for the movie Dazzling Mirage (2014).

Pandora's Box Play

Pandora's Box was Ade Solanke's first play to be fully produced. It first showed in 2008. The play had its official opening and sold-out shows at the Arcola Theatre in London in 2012. After that, it went on a big tour across the UK in 2014. This was the largest tour ever for a play by a Black writer in the UK.

The play is a fun and thoughtful mix of comedy and family drama. It tells the story of a British-Nigerian mother. She is on holiday in Lagos with her son. She has to decide whether to leave him in a strict Nigerian boarding school. Or, should she bring him back to the tough streets of London?

Pandora's Box received excellent reviews. Critics called it "Honest, simple, enthralling" and "Firecracker theatre." Many praised it for being both funny and touching.

East End Boys, West End Girls

In 2015, Ade Solanke directed her second play, East End Boys, West End Girls. The play toured London. It started at the Arcola Theatre. It then played at other places like the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea.

Reviews said the play gave a "grim view of a vast and disparate city." They also called it "thought-provoking." The play explored important questions about society. Critics noted that Solanke handled these topics with care and intelligence.

The Court Must Have a Queen

Ade Solanke's most recent play is The Court Must Have a Queen. This play is about Henry VIII's marriage to Anne of Cleves. It also features John Blanke. He was an African Tudor musician. He played music for both King Henry VII and Henry VIII. He is known as the first Black person in the UK with both a picture and a record of his life.

The play was asked for by Historic Royal Palaces. It was performed at Hampton Court Palace in June 2018. This is the same Great Hall where Shakespeare's acting company performed in 1603.

Other Creative Projects

Ade Solanke is also working on a play about Phillis Wheatley. This project is called Phillis in London. It was shown at the Greenwich Book Festival in 2018. Another play by Solanke, Phillis in Boston, was presented in November 2023.

Solanke also contributed to the book New Daughters of Africa. This book is a collection of writings by African women.

Ade Solanke's Works

Plays

• Pandora's Box (2012)
• East End Boys, West End Girls (2015)
• The Court Must Have a Queen (2018)

Films

• The Family Legacy (2009)
• Dazzling Mirage (2014)

Awards and Special Recognition

In 1989, Ade Solanke was named London's Top Youth Entrepreneur. This was for her writing and media business, Tama Communications. In September 2012, she won the Best Playwright award at the Nigerian Entertainment and Lifestyle Awards. She also won Best Playwright at the Afro-Hollywood Awards.

During the 2012 London Olympics, Ade Solanke was featured at a special literature event. She was with other famous writers like Chibundu Onuzo.

• 2012: Pandora's Box won Best Playwright at the Afro-Hollywood Awards.
• 2012: Pandora's Box won Best Play at the Nigerian Entertainment and Lifestyle (NEL) Awards.
• 2012: Pandora's Box was nominated for Best New Play at the Off West End Theatre Awards.
• 2014: Pandora's Box was nominated for the Nigeria Prize for Literature.
• 2015: East End Boys, West End Girls won Best Play at the 7th Black Entertainment, Film, Fashion, Television and Arts Awards.
• 2015: Both Pandora's Box and East End Boys, West End Girls were nominated for the Alfred Fagon Audience Award.
• 2016: She received the Professor Robert Boucher Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Sheffield.

Ade Solanke has also received many academic scholarships and writing awards. These include:

• 1992: Fulbright Scholarship
• 1993: Phi Beta Kappa International Scholarship
• 2010: Peggy Ramsay Award
• 2013: Peggy Ramsay Award