A play written by Danai Gurira will open at a London theatre later this year (18).
The Convert is set in 1890s Rhodesia, and follows the story of a girl taken in by a Catholic missionary to escape a forced marriage, before converting to Catholicism herself. The hard-hitting work by the Black Panther star will be performed as part of the Young Vic theatre's first season under new artistic director Kwame Kwei-Armah, who wants the art to "say something about the world that we live in," and who described Danai's play as a "modern classic... ripe for interpretation."
The 40-year-old took on the role of Wakandan general Okoye in the Marvel movie, which was recently crowned the top grossing superhero movie of all time, and has also played Michonne in hit series The Walking Dead since 2012.
In addition to The Convert, Danai has written three other plays titled In the Continuum, Familiar and Eclipsed. The latter debuted in New York in 2015 featuring a cast which included her Black Panther co-star Lupita Nyong'o, and later earned a nomination for Best New Play at the 2016 Tony Awards.
It was also the first play to premiere on Broadway with an all female and black cast and creative team, and in an interview with Vogue U.S., the Zimbabwean-American actress insisted it was "an important thing for people to see that many, many people of colour come to the theatre."
The Convert was first staged in the U.S. in 2012 to rave reviews, and made its debut in the U.K. last year.
It is said to examine "the impact of colonialism and Catholicism on black identity", and will debut at the Young Vic in December.
