Theresa Ikoko

Ikoko grew up with her mother and eight siblings in the Hackney neighborhood of London. Ikoko has said that the label "poor" was put upon her and that communities that are poorer are misrepresented by the media as "problem areas" which ignores the potential of these areas and the fact that the negativity coming from these communities is a societal issue. She says that "poverty isn’t all about suffering and darkness," and describes her upbringing as "rich in joy."[3]

Growing up, Ikoko was inspired by authors Malorie Blackman, Sister Souljah, and Eric Jerome Dickey.[4]

Ikoko earned an undergraduate degree in psychology from Royal Holloway, University of London and a master's degree in Criminology and Criminal Psychology from the University of Oxford.[5][6] While at Royal Holloway she contributed to a journal article on "how the conversation dynamics of women from ethnic majority and minority groups varied in different conversational contexts."[7]

Ikoko has worked on social inclusion and community engagement projects within prisons, including facilitating creative and performing arts workshops with incarcerated persons.[1][6][8] She worked with Islington Integrated Gangs, a London organization that focuses on gang violence in youth communities, from 2014 until 2019, when she began writing full-time.[4]

Ikoko's first full-length play was Normal, which was produced as a staged reading as part of the Talawa Firsts' series in 2014.[9][1] Ikoko came to greater attention and acclaim for her second full-length play, Girls, which won the Alfred Fagon Award for best new play in 2015; the award honors excellence in playwrights by authors of African or Caribbean ancestry living in the United Kingdom.[2] Girls went on to be produced by Talawa Theatre Company, HighTide Theatre and Soho Theatre in 2016, before being revived for a tour in 2017 which also took in shows at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe.[10][11][12] At the time Ikoko said:

"This isn’t the first play I’ve written, but it’s my first produced play. The first play I wrote, I didn’t really know it was a play, it was just for me. I would read it over the phone to my friend and when I’d finished he said I had to show it to someone. Talawa Theatre Company found me and [artistic director] Michael Buffong put that play in a Talawa Firsts show, and I got signed by my agent there. A few months later, I was commissioned to work with Clean Break and Talawa. I make no exaggerations when I say Talawa completely took a chance on me. I had no training or experience or credentials, and there was no one to offer a reference. But Michael believed in me. It took me forever though, probably until the opening night of Girls at HighTide, for me to believe him."

[13]

Ikoko was one of five winners of the Channel 4 Playwrights Scheme for her play Girls, which earned Ikoko a year-long playwriting fellowship the HighTide Theatre.[14] Ikoko also received the George Devine Award for most promising playwright in 2016. Girls was produced at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, the HighTide Festival, and at the Soho Theatre in 2016.[15][16] It was Ikoko's first professionally produced play.[9] The play addresses issues of kidnapping, forced religion, sexism, and arranged marriage as well as themes of friendship and resilience.[16][17] A review in The Times called the play "pungent", "provocative", "scorchingly intelligent and as powerful as a gut punch."[18]

Ikoko cites as inspirations playwrights debbie tucker green and Dennis Kelly, author Chinua Achebe, and recording artist and activist Sister Souljah.[1] Speaking about her motivation for writing, she has said

"As a writer, I want to write things that change the lives of 14 year old girls in school, of university students and of grown men behind prison doors."

[1]

With Claire Wilson, she cowrote the screenplay for Sarah Gavron's 2019 film Rocks.[21] The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019 and opened in Britain on 18 September 2020.[4]

• Alfred Fagon Award for Best New Play, 2015, for Girls[1]
• Channel 4 Playwrights Scheme, 2016, for Girls[14]
• George Devine Award, 2016[3]

• Trailer for Girls