APPHIA CAMPBELL

SHEDx Talks are a free to watch series of ten minute talks from theatre makers and key arts industry figures, presented as part of SHEDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL 2021. All the talks are centred around the theme of Edinburgh Festival Fringe and aim to inspire, educate, reminisce and advocate for change.

Apphia Campbell is very excited and honoured to be the IASH playwrighting fellow for 2021. Apphia is originally from United States, and graduated from Florida International University with a BFA in theatre performance. In 2013 she wrote her critically acclaimed piece, ‘Black Is The Color Of My Voice’ and opened in Shanghai to rave reviews before performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2014 where it sold out and has been touring the UK; selling out in prestigious houses such as St. James Theatre, Wilton’s Music Hall, and Oxford Playhouse. 

In 2017, her new show with Meredith Yarbrough, ‘Woke’, was presented as part of the Made In Scotland Showcase, won a Scotsman Fringe First, a Highly Commended award from Amnesty International, and was shortlisted for The Filipa Bragança Award and Scottish Art Club Theatre Award. In 2018, she continued to tour Woke and was featured in the guardians 50 shows to see at the fringe and Vogue’s 5 shows not to miss in 2018 fringe. In 2018, she also became a member of the BBC writers room (a group chosen for one year tutelage with the BBC). In 2019, she made her West End debut with Black Is The Color Of My Voice which had rave reviews and a sold-out run at Trafalgar Studios. She also had a London premiere of Woke at the prestigious Battersea Arts Centre. In 2019, she appeared in BBC The Novels that shaped the world for the Handmaids tale segment. She also appears in an episode of Urban Myths: Orson Welles with Robbie Coltrane. 

 In 2019, she received her first commission from the BBC for a children’s story, called Zachary The Zebroid which aired in February 2020. She also wrote Birdie’s Dilemma for Scenes for Survival which premiered on BBC in collaboration with NTS Scotland. She was one of six writers who wrote for the National Theatre of Scotland’s Christmas show Rapunzel. In 2020, she was also elected to the board of the Edinburgh Fringe Society where she’ll be representing artist concerns and needs for the next two years. Recent Credits: The Last Bordello (David Leddy, Director) Woke (Caitlin Skinner, Director), Black Is The Color Of My Voice (Arran Hawkins, Director), The Color Purple (James Harkness, Director), Soul Sessions ( Cabaret), No Exit (Michael Beets, Director)