Adjoa Andoh on Shakespeare, Bridgerton and DEI: ‘I don’t have to be the only one in the room’

Acclaimed stage and screen actor has taken part in Washington DC’s Folger Shakespeare Library residency program during a troubling time for the Capitol

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ddressing an audience at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, Adjoa Andoh acknowledged that some of her work might look “Black or colour-centric” but that is only because of the silos the world forces us into. She could just as easily be Leeds United football club-centric, she added.

“I am missing two crucial matches to be here with you this week,” the 63-year-old exclaimed, prompting laughter in the theatre. “I have tickets!”

Any football fan will empathise. Andoh, a Shakespearean actor and director and star of the Netflix series Bridgerton, had made the noble sacrifice of missing an FA Cup semi-final to be take part in a new director’s residency programme at the Folger, a Shakespearean shrine – with scenes from the plays carved in marble – on Capitol Hill since 1932.