Francesca Amewudah-Rivers

🌟@bafta @britishvogue @netflixuk

Rosemary Charles in THE LINE OF BEAUTY Honoured to be part of this story, and to represent the vital role our lesbian elders undertook during the 1980s AIDS epidemic. Queer women, black queer women, are the foundation of so many communities, whether in the limelight, or working in the shadows. Rosemary's legacy of solidarity, empathy and collective action, is an inspiration to us all in the fight against all forms of injustice. Come see us @almeida_theatre until Nov 29th

THE LINE OF BEAUTY press night with this beautiful company plus kiosk queen Mary. From usher to main stage. A full circle moment. Huge love @almeida_theatre 💙

Thank you Ian Charleson Awards. An honour to be part of this legacy. Thank you to my village old and new, for guiding me through. Thank you Juliet for your courageous spirit, the gift that keeps on giving. R&J cast & crew, you know the love runs deep. This is a reminder that Shakespeare is for everyone. Lyricism, poetry, storytelling, is within all of us. Always has been. @timesculture @nationaltheatre 📷 Michael Clement

thank you @criticscircletheatreuk 🌟

#NOWNESSpicks: Poetry as an act of resistance 📕 Reflect on cultural identity and colonial history in this poetic reframing of Shakespeare’s Juliet 🌍⁠ ⁠ Short film ‘An Unbecoming’, by director Jessica Madavo and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers journeys through the weight of identity, colonial history, and forbidden love in an act of poetic resistance⁠ ⁠ Tap the link in bio to watch the full film on NOWNESS 🎥 Written and performed by @franarivers Director @jessicamadavo Cinematographer @elliotholbrow Editor @louishvejselbork Sound Recorder Bahar Dopran Sound @louishvejselbork Sound Mix @f_beirne_sound_designer Gaffer @Matthewbohun.gaffer Stylist @Jessicamadavo Makeup @mata_marielle Hair @shun_hairhead In collaboration with @citizenmagazine Production Liberty Dye @concretereplimited

Order the @franarivers issue now! 💥 Photography by @jemimashoots Styling by @theofficialseyon Interview by @arsemathomas Words by @ellaxwest Editorial Director @charlottejmorton Editor-in-Chief @ellaxwest Art Director @beth1owri Production Director Lola Randall Movement Direction by @w3b_st4r Set Design by @adeyumyum Hair by @chersavery Make-up by @dandelgado_ at @agency__41 using @fentyskin and @fentybeauty Production Intern @hannahgrantttt

“What’s helping me continue my job and getting me through this period is community. It’s knowing that we are not alone, there’s a community of people just like us. I feel forced to push against the conditionings that often make us feel isolated. I find myself feeling like I have to ‘stay in my lane’ and to not look around at others. I still have that immigrant mentality of survival. Our parents and grandparents had no choice but to make it work. And I can see the ways in which I have adopted that mentality. But it’s this community that makes me realise there is strength in numbers outside of myself, and that is beautiful. We’re part of a legacy. I might feel like I’m alone in these thoughts, but I’m not.” She’s tackled Shakespeare and Mean Girls on stage, but now our Winter 2024 cover star, Romeo & Juliet’s @franarivers , is leaning into her most important role to date: herself. Speaking with @arsemathomas for her interview, she speaks on the hardest lessons she’s had to face in her career, what she loves about being on stage and how she’ll continue to build her very own community ❤️‍🔥 Pre-order now at our #linkinbio Photography by @jemimashoots Styling by @theofficialseyon Interview by @arsemathomas Words by @ellaxwest Editorial Director @charlottejmorton Editor-in-Chief @ellaxwest Art Director @beth1owri Production Director Lola Randall Movement Direction by @w3b_st4r Set Design by @adeyumyum Hair by chersavery Make-up by @dandelgado_ at @agency__41 using @fentyskin and @fentybeauty Production Intern @hannahgrantttt

an excerpt from my soliloquy written/reimagined for @citizenmagazine Issue 004 STRANGE WORLD - exploring 'the strangeness of now against the strangeness of always, focusing its lens on Black women.'

ISSUE 004 @citizenmagazine A special shoot with the visionary @jessicamadavo 🖤thank you @citizenmagazine Photographer: @JessicaMadavo Makeup Artist: @Mata_Marielle Hair Stylist: @Shun_Hairhead Production: @ConcreteRepLimited Post Production: @InkRetouch Co-EIC, Creative Director: @Henriettta Co-EIC, Editorial Director: @daniellepowellcobb Art Director: @foreman_studio Director, Digital & Special Projects: @nataliatnt

FRANCESCA for Citizen Issue 004: STRANGE WORLD Theater’s most famous lover girl, Juliet, has been plunked down in more eras and settings and reimaginings than Shakespeare could have imagined. Perhaps the playwright himself never could have imagined 26-year-old Francesca Amewudah-Rivers (@franarivers ), the daughter of a Ghanaian father and a Nigerian mother, as Juliet. That inability to imagine a world that looks radically different than the one before us is only evidence of the limits of even the most imaginative minds to contemplate the strange turns of history and time. Because there she stood, on stage, clad in all black, with braids reaching down her back. This past summer, the British actress made her West End debut as Juliet opposite @tomholland2013 ’s Romeo in Jamie Lloyd’s production of “Romeo & Juliet”. Her performance was critically acclaimed. However, her casting in that role attracted the worst sort of trolls and a months-long campaign of vitriol directed toward the young Black actress. Later in the summer, Francesca was recast in the role of “self.” Collaborating with photographer @JessicaMadavo , Francesca reintroduces herself in images—happy, content, and fully possessed. In words, Francesca plays with inversion, adapting Juliet into her own image. In a short soliloquy, she introduces her most intimate thoughts about her summer as Juliet and the place she calls home. Citizen is proud to present an introduction to Francesca Amewudah-Rivers constructed by Francesca Amewudah-Rivers on her own terms. Photographer: @JessicaMadavo Makeup Artist: @Mata_Marielle Hair Stylist: @Shun_Hairhead Production: @ConcreteRepLimited Post Production: @InkRetouch Co-EIC, Creative Director: @Henriettta Co-EIC, Editorial Director: @daniellepowellcobb Art Director: @foreman_studio Director, Digital & Special Projects: @nataliatnt #CitizenMagazine #StrangeWorld #FrancescaAmewudahRivers