Angelo Irving
Screenplay writer, actor, theatre reviewer, feature writer, editor and host of the Black in a Box podcast with words on Netflix, Huffington Post UK, The Stage and Exeunt.
Challenge drives me. It is why I have made it a point to diversify my skillset at every opportunity. I am proud to have been a part of the writing and performing team for the “Death to” series, the Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones show on Netflix where we created two comedy feature presentations. Additionally, I am a judge for The Stage Debut Awards as well as The UK Theatre Awards.
Available for media enquiries, features, columns, workshops on race and diversity and script reading.
Recent Work
I’ve put together a selection of my latest pieces. Read through the samples below and feel free to get in touch to learn more about me and to discuss any projects you may want to send my way.
May 2023
Milk Presents and Middle Child collaborated to produce Modest, a show about Victorian artist Elizabeth Thompson and I was the first national reviewer to see it.
January, 2023
Theatre has had to innovate post pandemic. I spoke to the heads of three of Yorkshire's most successful theatres to see the steps they have taken to navigate the new reality.
We Used To Be Closer Than This
July 2021
I was approached by Middle Child to write a piece of music for their cabaret, we used to be closer than this. The piece, Now/Then was what I created. Below is an excerpt
Now/Then
Remember us crying at the theatre?
And you’d always sniff and say we’re silly
For getting so invested in fiction
Now:
And you’d say it’s cheaper than therapy.
Then:
What about how I would always rag you
For forgetting all the words to our song?
And you’d say…
Now:
The words mean less than the vibe
Then:
Remember when
We went drinking down at the Marina?
That fight started outside of Mission then
You managed to stop it by singing Prince
“I wanna be your lover!” I wanna…
Then:
…You always embellish what happened next
Now:
Did I imagine the feather boa?
Or the voguing. Hmm? And whilst we’re at it…
Then:
Ok, you may be right
Now:
You know I am
Then:
Well, what about THAT time at Spiders? You know
When the art teacher turned up? You were smashed
Now:
I’m not sure we need to tell that story
Then:
Why not? They had to buy new shoes after…
Now: …After I threw up on them in all the…
Then:
Colours of the rainbow! Magical night (Pause)
Now: I want to tell new stories; ones where I
Can laugh, cry, reflect, smile and be sad
Then (Interrupting): You’re wrong on one thing y’know?
Now: Yeah? What’s that?
Then: New stories, old stories, they’re all the same
Things weren’t better then than they are right now
Different? Sure. But we will muddle through.
Kirsty Housley Feature, The Stage UK
March 2021
In discussing her work, it’s notable how often Housley uses the plural pronoun ‘we’. For The Long Goodbye, BAFTA-nominated Riz Ahmed has received praise for the scope of the project – born out of the rubble of the Brexit referendum – which is comprised of the digital performance, an album and a short film. However, Housley’s contribution is undeniable and can be seen in the differences between the album and the digital performance.
Where the album is marked by a plaintive fury that drips off every syllable, the digital performance, under Housley’s direction, feels more nuanced: angry, yet wanting its audience to empathise with, rather than cower from, Ahmed’s rage.
That subtle difference speaks of a theatremaker who starts projects by asking: “What is it we want to say? Why are we making this?” It’s also indicative of a person who has chosen not to specialise – equally at home as a writer, dramaturg and director – and who believes that theatre is almost always at its best when it is a collaborative process.
The full article can be found here: https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/director-kirsty-housley-many-of-the-famous-plays-that-theatres-think-are-safe-bets-are-not
One Night in Miami, Long Review, The Stage UK
January 2021
Muhammad Ali was a three-time world heavyweight champion; Malcolm X was one of the first Muslims to speak at Oxford University; Jim Brown is arguably the greatest American football player and Sam Cooke took the gospel sound and made it popular, with a lineage that runs from the Rolling Stones to Adele.
On February 25, 1964 when the drama is set, they meet. On the surface, the period seems quite different to today but the conversations that the four men have during the night about race, capitalism, religious faith, authenticity and how to make their way in a world that can be both hostile and loving, are ones with obvious modern-day parallels.
The date is appealing because the four protagonists are all in liminal spaces. Ali is about to publicly declare his Muslim faith and membership of the Nation of Islam – a group that X is about to leave. Brown is set to retire from football and become an actor and Cooke wrestles with how to balance commercial success with speaking to the historical moment they are in.
Read the full review here: https://www.thestage.co.uk/long-reviews/long-reviews/one-night-in-miami
It’s time for artists to speak out against government gaslighting, Exeunt Magazine
October 2020
I’m old enough to remember March 2020, when the media were falling over themselves to proclaim the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak as “Dishy Rishi” and Prime Minister in waiting. The Job Retention Scheme was seen as almost unbelievable act of generosity and the British people were supposed to line up and tug their forelocks in appreciation. Yes, it was a golden time, unless you had been in a job for less than a year or worked in an industry that required large numbers of people to congregate in small spaces. Industries like the creative arts.
Sunak’s star has since dimmed somewhat, and he has had to weather criticism after an ITV News interview where, after being asked whether he was suggesting that people that work in arts and music to just go and get a new job in a different sector, responded “That’s exactly what we should be doing”.
Read the rest of the feature here: http://exeuntmagazine.com/features/time-artists-speak-government-gaslighting/
"Writing is the geometry of the soul"