Sancho: An Act of Remembrance at The Kennedy Center

Set during the height of the British slave trade, Sancho: An Act of Remembrance tells the unusual and gripping tale of Charles Ignatius Sancho, a man born on a slave ship who eventually became an actor, musician and the first person of African origin to vote in Great Britain. This new one-man play was conceived, written, as well as performed by renowned British actor Paterson Joseph (Royal Shakespeare Company, HBO's The Leftovers). Though born on a slave ship, Sancho fights to take his place in British society, eventually becoming a fellow actor and friend of the English stage's famed thespian David Garrick. Set on the day that Thomas Gainsborough paints his famous 1768 portrait of Sancho, Joseph's play offers moving, surprising, and often funny insight into the forgotten but true story of a man who dared to act, write, sing, dance, and voice his political opinion with wit and charm. See Sancho's trials, travails and achievements come to life onstage at the Terrace Theater. This compelling historical gem comes to D.C. as part of the Kennedy Center's World Stages series.