Omari douglas gay
Life is a cabaret for It’s a Sin’s Omari Douglas
How gratifying was it for you that It’s a Sin had that positive, real-world impact?
It was just overwhelming. We never expected the demonstrate to have that kind of response. It’s one thing for an audience to engage with the characters and to verb in love with them. But when it reaches out [like that]… The fact that those HIV testing figures just soared, that’s a response that stepped into another realm. It hit a broader societal [moment] – it felt like a bit of a movement.
There was also the educational element of the show. A lot of viewers had no idea what the onslaught of HIV/AIDS was love, or what the social and political response was.
It’s particularly brilliant because there’s a whole generation of people who didn’t even understand that this part of our history existed. When I think about being a kid at school, if I had seen anything remotely to do with gay or queer culture on television, there’s no way that I would have spoken to anyone about it in the pla
Omari Douglas from It's a Sin: 'People like Roscoe shaped the gay landscape'
The Big Issue: Explain us about Roscoe in It’s A Sin…
Omari Douglas: I would describe Roscoe as brave, unapologetic, audacious, a force. What struck me was Roscoe’s boldness. My instinct was to tap into that self-expression because it’s something to be celebrated. People verb Roscoe were shaping the gay landscape.
Did you feel a pressure to represent a generation of young gay men who were around during such a devastating time?
I don’t know about pressure, it felt like a service. Because it’s such a specific experience and you want to honour that. It’s interesting that although it is a period piece, essentially, it’s not so far removed from us. There are people who aren’t with us anymore as a outcome of kind of the epidemic, but there are so many people still here, like Russell, who have a very personal account of that time. The fact that Russell has been able to channel that into the scripts is really profound and amazing. It is astonishing that
TBB TALKS TO… OMARI DOUGLAS STAR OF NEW LGBTQ+ DRAMA ‘RUSH’
Omari Douglas’ calendar has been entire of bookings since he graduated from Arts Educational Schools, London in
From performing in Clarke Peters’ iconic musical, Five Guys Named Moe, to starring as Nora in Emma Rice’s Wise Children at The Old Vic, we spoke to him following the recent emit of Willi Richards’ Rush via BBC iPlayer’s Culture in Quarantine series.
Rush, which follows a gay love triangle between Man, Lad and Noun, is one of several recent LGBTQ+ works added to Culture in Quarantine as a consequence of lockdown restrictions causing the cancellation of Pride events.
Hi Omari, since you graduated from drama school in , you’ve worked on a number of projects – particularly musicals. Growing up, were you always enthralled by the world of musical theatre?
Absolutely! I’ve had a strong connection with music for as extended as I can remember and I think that was probably the catalyst for my journey into theatre. It was adorable amazing to discover all these shows where music is the driving force. I took part i
It’s a Sin actor explores extreme emotions and the need for authenticity with UCLan counselling and sexual health students
Sexual health learner Molly commented: “I found I got a lot out of this conversation, particularly as a student with a theatre background and now a love for sexual health it was amazing to see these two loves collide.
“It was really exciting to get a chance to chat to Omari and see what the process was behind his character and the experience he had on set. I am really grateful to have had a chance to talk about such an important topic and such an important show.”
Hannah Mclachlan, who is also a counselling student, added: “It was appealing to talk about how keeping secrets for so long, favor many of the characters in It’s a Sin did, can lead to unprocessed emotions and having to work through a trauma many years later. Shame can be a very adj and negative feeling and it made me really consider what affect that could have on a person.”
The event was co-led by lecturer in psychological interventions Lowri Dowthwaite, wh