Pioneering Shakespearean actor who brought colour to cultural life celebrated
The life of a Shakespearean actor who was the first black person ever to run a British theatre has been given a permanent memorial in Coventry.
A blue plaque has been unveiled to commemorate the achievements of Ira Aldridge, an African American who was manager of the Coventry Theatre.
The building Aldridge managed was demolished long ago and the streets have also been reconfigured, so the plaque marking the site is in the Precinct in Coventry.
Ira Aldridge
Prof Tony Howard, who leads Warwick University’s Multicultural Shakespeare project, said: “In January 1828 Ira Aldridge was advertised as a fairground attraction – ‘A Most Extraordinary Novelty, a Man of Colour’ – yet only a few weeks later Coventry gave him the keys to its theatre.
“It was obvious there had to be a permanent memorial.”
The campaign to install a plaque in Coventry was launched last November and culminated in a ceremony in the city this week.
The plaque was unveiled by Coventry’s Lord Mayor Tony Skipper and the Bermudan film star Earl Cameron CBE, who celebrates his 100th birthday on Tuesday and was trained by Aldridge’s daughter Amanda.
Earl Cameron at the unveiling of Ira Aldridge’s blue plaque in Coventry
Aldridge was 20 years-old when he became the theatre’s manager in 1828, five years before Parliament abolished slavery in the British Empire.
He came to England from America and went on to perform for the crowned heads of Europe.
Laura McMillan, manager of Coventry City of Culture Trust and part of the Coventry 2021 bid team, described Aldridge as “a figure of major international significance”.
She added: “Coventry has long been recognised for its willingness to welcome people from across the world and that sense of openness and inclusion is as strong today as ever.”
“It is also an aspect of city life which is expressed in the range of cultural and artistic groups who are thriving in Coventry and which we hope will lead to us landing the UK City of Culture title later this year.”
