St Brendan's to celebrate diversity

Tayo Aluko will visit St Brendan's Sixth Form College in Bristol this November with his one man show titled "Call Mr. Robeson". The show is the focal point of a month long series of events throughout the College, which serve to educate and celebrate diversity.

Aluko's play brings to life the story of the great actor, singer and civil rights campaigner Paul Robeson. Robeson achieved worldwide fame during his life for his artistic accomplishments, and his outspoken, radical beliefs which largely clashed with the colonial powers of Western Europe and pre-civil rights America.

The play itself is described as a "rollercoaster journey through Robeson's remarkable and eventful life, and highlights how his activism caused him to be disowned and disremembered, even by the leaders and descendants of the civil rights movement".

St Brendan's is the largest specialist sixth form provider in the region and is home to over 1600 students from a variety of different faiths, cultures and backgrounds. Consequently, it is an ideal venue for Aluko to perform, and introduce this influential figure to a new generation of people, who may not be familiar with Robeson’s story.

Tayo Aluko has travelled the show internationally, from the Bristol Old Vic to the BAAD. In New York and the play has won the Best Male Performer award at the Brighton Fringe Festival. All the students are excited about the show arriving at the College and it will be a fitting climax to a number of practical events that have been created to break down barriers, and celebrate the differences between all.

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