Ché Walker
Ché Walker attended Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. He has notched up over forty professional television acting credits and appeared in ten professional stage plays before becoming a playwright. His first play, Been So Long, premiered at the world-renowned Royal Court Theatre (star. Oscar nominee Sophie Okonedo) in 1998. Subsequent translations and productions include New York, Los Angeles, Seoul, Paris, Dortmund, Oslo, and Copenhagen. Been So Long was runner-up for the John Whiting Award and the Meyer-Whitworth Award. His second stage play Fleshwound premiered at the Royal Court in 2003, and won both the George Devine Award for “Most Promising Playwright” and an Arts Council “Writer of The Future” Award. Crazy Love, his play for Paines Plough Theatre Company, premiered in Oran Mor, Scotland before transferring to The Shunt in Central London in 2007.
In 2008, Ché made theatrical history when his play The Frontline became the first contemporary-set play to be performed at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre since Merry Wives of Windsor in 1597. The year of 2010 saw the premiere of Lovesong, a one-man musical with U.K. Soul Artist Omar Lyefook. Lovesong premiered at the Edinburgh Theatre Festival before touring nationwide throughout the summer. In 2011, Ché embarked on a unique collaboration with rock musician Paul Heaton on the opera The Eighth, which featured actor Reg E. Cathey (The Wire, the Corner, House of Cards), a full string orchestra, eight-piece rock band, and eight singers. The Eighth premiered at the Manchester International Festival, subsequently playing the Barbican Centre and touring nationwide. In 2012, he was appointed Associate Artist at the Bush Theatre in London. In 2013, The Lightning Child premiered at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. In 2014, Klook’s Last Stand premiered at the Park Theatre. Ché also has directed over forty stage productions (Fog, His Greatness, Little Baby Jesus, Estate Walls, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, to name a few) and teaches acting technique at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and Weekend Arts College.
“A brilliant piece of dramatic poetry”
“Superb…gripping…something special”
Klook's Last Stand
Written & Directed by Ché Walker; Lyrics by Ché Walker & Anoushka Lucas; Music by Anoushka Lucas & Omar Lyefook
Klook is a drifter who's gotten too old to drift. Vinette is on the run but she doesn't know what's chasing her. Together, they make a tentative stab at love and reach for hope until the past catches up to the future and smacks it in the face. Tough, tender, funny, poignant, Klook's Last Stand will grab you from the inside out. Soulful music combined with a witty, moving story makes this a mesmerizing theater experience.
