Charlene James facts for kids

Charlene James is a talented British writer. She creates plays for the stage and scripts for TV shows. She is well-known for her play Cuttin' It. This play brought attention to a very serious issue in Britain and helped her win many awards.

Early Life and Learning

Charlene James grew up in Birmingham, England. From a young age, she loved acting. She took acting classes at Stage2 in Birmingham to learn more. Later, she studied acting at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago.

After acting, she became interested in writing plays. She joined a special program for young writers at the Royal Court Theatre in London. This helped her start her journey as a playwright.

Her Writing Career

Charlene James has written many interesting stories for both the stage and television.

Writing for the Stage

Her first play, Maybe Father, was recognized in 2009. It was considered for the Alfred Fagon Award. The play was also read aloud at the Young Vic theatre in London.

In 2013, she became a writer-in-residence at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Here, she focused on writing about how teenagers deal with their mental health. She wrote a play called Tweet Tweet in 2014. This play was for the Birmingham Youth Rep. It was a short play that talked about the challenges teenagers face with social media and difficult feelings.

James became more widely known for her 2014 play, Cuttin' It. This play tells the story of two teenage girls from Somalia living in England. They have different ideas about a harmful traditional practice. Charlene James was inspired to write this play after watching a documentary. Cuttin' It won her several important awards. These included the George Devine Award and the Alfred Fagon Award. She also won the Critics' Circle Theatre Award and the UK Theatre Award for Best New Play. The Evening Standard Theatre Award named her the Most Promising Playwright.

In 2016, Charlene James wrote Bricks and Pieces. This play was performed by Tiata Fahodzi and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. It explored themes like family, loss, and how people communicate.

Writing for Television

Charlene James has also written for popular TV shows. She wrote for the BBC show The Break. She also worked on Sky's fantasy drama series A Discovery of Witches.

In November 2019, it was announced that James would be one of the writers for Doctor Who. This made her the second Black writer in the show's long history. She co-wrote the episode Can You Hear Me? with Chris Chibnall. This episode explored mental health topics. More recently, she worked with Pete McTighe on his supernatural thriller series The Rising for Sky Max.

Plays Written

• Maybe Father, 2009
• Do You Wish to Continue?, [short play] 2012
• Lundun
• Dad(die), 2012
• Jump! We'll Catch You, 2013
• Bacon
• Tweet Tweet, 2014
• Cuttin' It, 2014
• Bricks and Pieces, 2016
• Go Home, [short play, published in The Guardian] 2017
• "Reclaim the Night", [monologue] in Snatches: Moments from 100 Years of Women's Lives: Eight Monologues, 2019

Awards and Recognition

Charlene James has received many awards for her amazing work.

• In 2016, she won the Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright for her play Cuttin' It.