Retrograde

Mr Parks, this isn’t just a movie, it’s a whole movement. Whether you like it or not is irrelevant.

The Golden Age of Hollywood. Behind closed doors, aspiring actor Sidney Poitier is offered a lucrative contract that could make him a superstar. But what is he willing to sacrifice?

From the writer of the award-winning, smash hit For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy, Ryan Calais Cameron’s explosive play Retrograde explores identity, resilience and integrity as it examines a true event in 1950s Hollywood and the reality of a Black actor’s journey to stardom. This world premiere explores a moment in a career which paved ways and changed perceptions, cementing the legacy of a Hollywood icon. Retrograde asks the question: how much have we really evolved?

This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at London’s Kiln Theatre, in April 2023.

Ryan Calais Cameron is a writer for Theatre and TV. His play Typical, which starred Richard Blackwood, sold out its run at Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2019 and its transfer to Soho Theatre Upstairs, garnering 4-star reviews across the board. Queens of Sheba, co-written with Jessica Hagan, won the 2018 Edinburgh Untapped Award. Its four-week run at Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2018 sold out, garnering 4- and 5-star reviews and winning the Edinburgh Stage Award 2018; it transferred to the New Diorama Theatre, London and it went on national tour in 2019. Ryan was the winner of the 2018 Off West End Adopt A Playwright Award for his play Rhapsody, which was produced at the Arcola in March of that year. Retrograde, which he wrote on his year of ’adoption’, was shortlisted for the 2019 Alfred Fagon Award and Verity Bargate Award 2020. Ryan is an alumnus of the Royal Court writer’s programme 2017 and the Soho Young Company 2016/17. He has contributed to the Royal Court’s Living Newspaper: Edition 2 and is currently under commission to the Royal Court, the Arcola, Soho Theatre and Theatre Centre.