Ryan Calais Cameron

Ryan Calais Cameron is an actor, playwright, and screenwriter from Catford, London. During Cameron’s school years, he was pushed by teachers into getting a trade and he took a course in electrical engineering but later decided against their advice. Instead, he attended Arts University Bournemouth where he graduated with a degree in Acting,

In 2011, shortly after graduating from Bournemouth, he entered a monologue competition and won. He was spotted and subsequently cast in The Westbridge (2011) at the Royal Court. 

Cameron’s early career in acting went on to include roles in screen productions like Casualty and Luther, but the urge to create spurred him to write and allowed him to feel more fulfilled as an artist. He felt compelled to share work that reflected people and stories he realised were overlooked; a realisation he came to after returning home from university and finding a new perspective on his hometown. Cameron’s first play, Timbuktu (2015), marked the beginning of his writing career. In 2018, he co-founded Nouveau Riche, producing acclaimed works like Queens of Sheba (2019).

His most significant work, For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy (2021), emerged from his deep concern for Black men’s mental health, reflecting both personal and communal pain. This play, which gained widespread acclaim, exemplifies his focus on bringing underrepresented narratives to the stage.

Cameron was appointed as an Associate Playwright at the Royal Court in 2024, a role that involves engaging in creative leadership of the theatre, contributing to the development of the theatre’s artistic programming, and supporting emerging writers. 

Ryan Calais Cameron’s writing extends beyond the stage, with his involvement in the Channel 4 adaptation of Queenie (2024) and other screenwriting projects.