Stages Across the Atlantic: Theatrical Exchange, Past, Present & Future

She was the Fulbright Distinguished Scholar at Emerson College, Boston and holds an MFA from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, where she was a Fulbright Postgrad Fellow, a Phi Beta Kappa International Scholar, and an Association of American University Women Scholar.

Her play, The Court Must Have a Queen, commissioned by Historic Royal Palaces and premiered at Hampton Court Palace, explored the relationship between Henry VIII and the African court trumpeter, John Blanke. 'Phillis in London,' her project about Phillis Wheatley, the African-American enslaved teenage prodigy, includes two original new works premiered in Boston in 2023.

Her debut play Pandora's Box won Best New Play nomination at the Off West End Theatre Awards and was shortlisted for the Nigeria Prize for Literature, Africa’s biggest literary award. Ade has written for The Guardian, BBC Radio 4, and worked as a story analyst for Disney and Sundance.

She is the author of two prize-winning monographs: Radical Black Theatre in the New Deal (2020) and Bridging Race Divides: Black Nationalism, Feminism & Integration (2008). Her current project, Staging the Archive, is a collaboration with theatre practitioners, archivists and educators which explores how to bring to life, and make accessible, the rich archive of plays by Black theatre makers working in early twentieth century Britain. Collaborative practice and open access to knowledge is at the heart of her historical practice: alongside Staging the Archive, collaborations with the British Library, Leeds Playhouse, the National Theatre and Cultural Collections at the University of Leeds, have inspired the co-creation of Emotionally Engaged: A Toolkit for your Archival Journey, designed to support emotional preparedness in archival encounters.

Ramsden Madeus is the current Fulbright John Wood LAMDA Award Holder, studying for an MA in Classical Acting for the Professional Theatre at the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA).

Born in New Jersey to Haitian immigrant parents, Ramsden Madeus served six years in the U.S. Marine Corps before studying at Atlantic Theater Company. A workshop with LAMDA’s Rodney Cottier sparked his passion for classical theater, leading him to pursue the Fulbright/John Wood Award.

Following his time at Atlantic, Madeus starred in Eden River, which premiered at Cannes and Berlin. He is also the founder of Arkhouse Films, an independent production company which creates stories that explore identity, heritage and justice, while amplifying underrepresented voices.