Pamela R Haynes interviews Author Angie Le Mar
Born in Lewisham, London, of Jamaican parentage, she grew up with four older brothers. She attended Lewisham Bridge School, Lewisham Girls School, Blackheath Bluecoat School and Vauxhall College. Her experience at school was difficult, and it was not until she completed her education that she was diagnosed as dyslexic. At the age of ten, Le Mar appeared in a school play called In on the Island at the Albany Empire and then attended the Lewisham Drama Club, inspired by her primary school teacher Mr Woodgate. She then Joined Second Wave Women's Drama group, where she performed Net Full of Holes, also at the Albany Empire.Le Mar attended the Barbara Speake Stage School, and Afro Sax drama club run by Larrington Walker, Ellen Thomas and Treva Etienne. With two fellow actresses Le Mar set up her own theatre company, called the Bemarrow Sisters, which ran for seven years. Productions included A Slice of Life directed by Decima Francis, Gloria directed by Trevor Laird and This Way Up written by Peggy Bennette-Hume. She was the first Black British performer to appear at Harlem's Apollo Theatre and had the first ever sell-out show by a female black comedian in London's West End.[1] Her TV appearances include the BBC's The Real McCoy and Channel 4's Get Up, Stand Up, and presented The Saturday Morning Show on Choice FM. She was also a commentator on Grumpy Old Women in 2005.From 1985 Le Mar cut her teeth on the comedy circuit, by initially doing open spots and warm-ups at events such as fashion shows and parties within the black community. She later rose to prominence on the emerging black comedy circuit in the 1990s, sharing the stage with established comedians such as Felix Dexter, Curtis Walker, Ishmael Thomas and Leo Chester all members of the BBC comedy series The Real McCoy. Her popularity earned her the title "The Queen of Black Comedy". Her reputation took her to the mainstream circuit where she became a regular act at established comedy clubs including Up The Creek, Jongleurs and The Comedy Store, culminating in Le Mar performing her sell-out one woman show Off The Hook at the Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, in 2000. She also gained international acclaim when she performed at the Apollo Theatre, New York, and the Comedy Act Theatre in Los Angeles. Le Mar celebrated 25 years in her show An Audience with Angie Le Mar, "Celebrating 25 years", at the Barbican Theatre in September 2010.Le Mar launched her professional theatre career in 1994 with her comedy sketch show Funny Black Women on the Edge that premiered at The Civic Centre in Southwark, London, which she wrote and also made her first directing debut, playing several characters. The show went on to play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, at the Gilded Balloon in the same year. The show played at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in November 1995, directed by Paulette Randall The show was reprised again in 2007 The Best of Funny Black Women on The Edge through Le Mar's production company Straight To Audience Productions', at the Hackney Empire, directed by Jo Martin and Dawn Reid. Le Mar wrote her show The Brothers, which was originally aired as a radio production on Choice FM, produced by Ivor Etienne. Written in 2006 and directed by Le Mar, the show made its theatre debut at the Hackney Empire and became the fastest-selling show there since Hamlet. The Brothers was also recorded for television and shown on MTV Base. In 2007 Le Mar wrote Do You Know Where Your Daughter Is?. While working as a radio presenter on Choice FM, Le Mar was moved by a call she received on her phone in show from a distressed young lady who had been abused by her boyfriend. The contents of the call inspired her to write the play, which was targeted predominantly to young audiences and parents. The play premiered at the Hackney Empires' Acorn Theatre and ran for eight weeks. It was toured throughout the London Regional suburbs.
