With support from Heritage Lottery Fund.  We at Nu century Arts are making a film.

 Beyond the Drum is a journey through 190 years of Black theatre in Britain. It is a journey that will ultimately focus on the rich heritage of Black British Theatre from the 19th Century (1824) until the present day. (2011) This project will chart that heritage from Ira Aldridge, one of the most famous Shakespearean actors of his time. Also known as the African Roscius, his career on the British stage spanned 30 years. He performed in the UK and in Europe as the star in melodrama, romantic drama, operetta, comedy and Shakespeare, with his most famous role as Othello at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden. He rose to become one of Europe's leading performers and more honours were showered upon him than any other actor, breaking racial barriers during a time when many of his black American contemporaries were still enslaved.