From the katana-wielding Michonne on The Walking Dead to Wakandan general Okoye in Black Panther, Danai Gurira has perfected her own brand of fictional black women with stoic exteriors, steely resolve and warmth. However, the acclaimed thespian is venturing back into her talents as a playwright and expanding beyond the world of flesh-eating zombies and the futuristic world of Wakanda to an entirely different arena: London’s Young Vic Theater.
According to Deadline, Gurira is set to bring her stage play, The Convert, London’s Young Vic theater in December.
The play, written by Gurira herself, chronicles the life of a girl who converts to Catholicism in 1890s Rhodesia.
Depicting themes of colonialism and Catholicism filtered through the black experience, the play’s inception into London’s Young Vic Theater is both timely and well-welcomed. This isn’t The Walking Dead actress first foray as a playwright. Previously, Gurira wrote the play Eclipsed, which starred and Wakandan cohort Lupita Nyong’o.
Those eager to watch Gurira’s work can witness, or in many cases, relive her performance as Okoye in the Marvel box-office juggernaut Black Panther, currently in theaters.