Artist Spotlight: Writer & Actor, WALEED AKHTAR

Waleed is an award-winning writer and actor. He won an Olivier for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theater for his play The P Word, and Most Promising Playwright at The Off West End Awards for Kabul Goes Pop: Music Television Afghanistan. 

What was the moment you knew storytelling was going to be central to your life and career? 

The moment I reflected on this question. I don’t think I have ever sat there and consciously thought about that. I was just propelled to do. 

Who were your creative inspirations growing up? 

I’m really into music and have a massively eclectic taste. Growing up, Missy Elliott and Timbaland were huge influences – their sound felt like the future to me. I was especially drawn to how they sampled South Asian music, transforming it into something completely their own. Theatre-wise Debbie Tucker Green is the GOAT – she got me into theatre. It was the first time I heard the rhythms of someone from the London I knew, in a play. 

Is there a character you’ve played that’s stayed with you long after the production ended? 

The Green Alien That Came Out of a Fridge – it was a mad play written by a bunch of 11-year-olds that my then 5–7-year-old nieces came to see. To them it was the best thing they had ever seen, my lines are still quoted back to me to this day. They’re defo not as impressed with the Awards. 

First memory of going to the theatre? 

It must have been panto – standard inner city school experience… But the first time I chose to go to the theatre I saw The Woman in Black and was confused when I thought the interval was the end of the show. 

What was the last play you saw? 

I’m gonna have to check, I go so often… Not Your Superwoman – LOVE THE BUSH! 

How does being a writer inform your approach to acting – and vice versa? 

They go hand-in-hand for me – I play all the characters when I am writing, and I think generally actors have a great ear for dialogue. And through writing, you get a 360-degree view of the whole process of making a play, so that makes you less self-involved as an actor.  

If you could rewrite one classic story to reflect today’s world, which would it be and why? 

As it’s approaching Xmas, I think we need a retelling of the Nativity Story, people really have forgotten that Jesus was a refugee from the Middle East. 

What responsibilities do artists have in today’s social and political climate? 

To keep going. Making art right now feels more difficult than ever, but it’s even more important that we speak truth to power in this moment. We must get our voices heard. 

What would you tell a young South Asian or queer creative who’s just starting out? 

Welcome! You are unique and have a voice and world-view that needs to be heard – hold true to yourself. 

What’s coming up next for Waleed Akhtar? 

Currently I have a play out on Audible called Mrs Bibi –give it a listen! And then it’s back to first drafts for me, so watch this space!