Wriiten and directed by Apphia Campbell

Inspired by the life of Nina Simone, and featuring 
many of her most iconic songs performed live.

Black is the Color of my Voice

Wriiten and directed by Apphia Campbell

Inspired by the life of Nina Simone, and featuring 
many of her most iconic songs performed live.

Apphia Campbell’s acclaimed play follows a successful jazz singer and civil rights activist as she seeks redemption after the untimely death of her father. She reflects on the journey that took her from a young piano prodigy destined for a life in the service of the church, to a renowned jazz vocalist at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement.

Black Is The Color Of My Voice is touring the UK in 2025 after sell-out seasons in Adelaide, Shanghai, New York, Edinburgh and London's West End. Accolades include a Pick of the Week award at Adelaide Fringe when the show premiered there in 2023 and again in 2024, when it also won the overall Best Theatre Award.

Recommended for ages 12+

 

Tour Dates

Sun 16 Feb
Mercury Theatre
Colchester
Thu 20 Feb
Grimsby Auditorium
Sun 23 Feb
Gordon Craig Theatre
Stevenage
Tue 25 Feb
Theatre by the Lake
Keswick
Wed 26 Feb
York Theatre Royal
Thu 27 Feb
The Coro
Ulverston
Fri 28 Feb
Gala Durham
Sun 2 Mar
Hexagon
Reading
Mon 3 Mar
Eric Morecambe Centre
Harpenden
Tue 4 Mar
Derby Theatre
Fri 7 Mar
The Exhange
Twickenham
Sat 8 March
Norden Farm
Maidenhead
Mon 10 Mar
Wyvern Theatre
Swindon
Tue 11 Mar
Fareham Live
13 - 15 Mar
Wilton's Music Hall
London
Mon 17 Mar
Churchill Theatre
Bromley
Tue 18 Mar
Grove Theatre
Dunstable
Wed 19 Mar
Swan Theatre
Worcester
Fri 21 Mar
Hall For Cornwall
Truro
Sat 22 Mar
The Plough Arts Centre
Torrington

BIOGRAPHIES

Written and directed by

Apphia Campbell

Apphia Campbell is originally from United States and graduated from Florida International University with a BFA in theatre performance. She was the IASH playwrighting fellow for 2021. Apphia wrote Black Is The Color Of My Voice in 2013. In 2017 her  show with Meredith Yarbrough, Woke, was presented as part of the Made In Scotland Showcase, where it won a Scotsman Fringe First, a Highly Commended from Amnesty International Award, and was shortlisted for The Filipa Bragança Award and Scottish Art Club Theatre Award

In 2019, she made her West End debut with Black Is The Color Of My Voice at Trafalgar Studios and had a London premiere of Woke at Battersea Arts Centre. Her first commission from the BBC for a children’s story, called Zachary The Zebroid aired in 2020 and she also wrote Birdie’s Dilemma for Scenes for Survival (BBC in collaboration with NTS Scotland). She was one of six writers who wrote for the National Theatre of Scotland’s Christmas show Rapunzel

Credits include: The Last Bordello (David Leddy, Director) Woke (Caitlin Skinner, Director), Black Is The Color Of My Voice (Arran Hawkins, Director), The Color Purple (James Harkness, Director), Soul Sessions (Cabaret), and No Exit (Michael Beets, Director).

‘Moving portrayal of determination and survival.’
The Times
‘Nothing short of sensational… will make you cheer for her, smile with her and then sting your eyes with tears’
'Hauntingly beautiful'
'An incredible performance, by turns intense and intimate, and thoroughly recommended'
'Powerful and timely... utterly mesmerising'
'Vibrant, poignant and full of soul'
‘A tour de force performance’
'profound, yet understated, poetic depth'
'Masterfully executed, adding power to the gripping narrative of joy and pain’
'a moving musical performance'
'Fantastic'
‘Captivates the audience throughout.’
‘It would be difficult to find a better one-woman show than this’
"Electrifying"
The Reviews Hub
'Breathtaking'
‘A compelling and heartbreaking story, punctuated with bursts of song.’
Edinburgh Festivals Magazine
'Performed with tenderness, strength and absolute mastery'
'Passionate and inspiring'
‘A show that should be seen, with music and messages that deserve to be heard.’

CONTACT

Marketing & Press: marketing@seabright.org
Book the show at your venue: jack@seabright.org
Seabright Live London office: +44 20 7439 1173