About Me

I am a cultural historian, musical theatre expert, consultant, and book nerd. I specialise in relationships between race, gender, and musical theatre, as well as in US and UK popular culture generally. I am particularly interested in the contributions of Black and Black-descended women and queer people in making commercial entertainment.

The child of a librarian and a boat-dwelling Rastafarian, I grew up around Brent in north west London before going to the University of Sheffield to do a BMus and PhD in Musicology. I am now based at the University of Nottingham where I am Associate Professor in Popular Music and the Director of Black Studies.

If you follow me on social media, you will know I am a proud owner of two immeasurably characterful dogs: Sula and Obie. Otherwise, I enjoy books, cinema, running, gardening, cooking, singing, and tarot. My dream is, one day, to write books while running a community kitchen and library where I can serve an unending repertoire of spicy food, grow a ridiculous variety of chillis, and help keep my local area fed, learning, and entertained.

At work:

My research interests encompass musical theatre, race and gender representation in popular culture, and positionality and belonging for Black, queer, and gender minoritised people. I have expertise in the life and work of Cole Porter and the place of Black creatives and performers in musical theatre history. I am currently finishing my first book on the hit musical Kiss Me, Kate (1948) and writing a second on intersectionality in musical theatre, which is supported by a Leverhulme Research Fellowship. I’m also part of a research team, funded by the British Academy, working on a new examination of relationships between Black and Asian communities in the UK and US.

On top of being a keen researcher, I love teaching, training, and public speaking. At Nottingham, I run courses on musical theatre, Black Female Stardom, and race in popular culture. I offer talks on topics ranging from Disney and musical theatre to colourblind casting and designing safe teaching spaces for controversial topice. I work as a consultant and trainer in areas including approaching popular culture histories, inclusive learning envirorments, cultural sensitivity, researcher development, and access to higher education. I am also an experienced sensitivity reader on projects related to related to race and gender in the arts.

As one of the current leaders of the only Black Studies PhD in Europe, I am particularly concerned for the safety and longevity of Black-led research in our region. I’m one of the founders of the University of Nottingham’s Summer School for Rising Researchers – a training programme designed to address gaps for undergraduate and MA students of colour accessing postgraduate research degrees – led by Dr Neema Begum. I also co-founded the international network Black in Arts and Humanities with Drs. Renée Landell and Leighan Renaud. I’m currently the Communications Officer for the Theatre and Performance Research Association. I was also associated with the Free Black University in its early infancy.