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Windrush theatre developed in the early twenty-first century to recognize and celebrate the huge contributions made to British society by those who arrived from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1971. The so-called "Windrush generation" are named after the first ship to arrive, Empire Windrush. Almost half a million people migrated to Britain, which faced severe labor shortages in the wake of the Second World War. Windrush theatre productions have risen sharply following the Windrush Scandal of 2018, in which thousands of British residents of the Windrush generation were revealed to have been denied healthcare, threatened with deportation, or even sent to immigration centers, despite being legal residents of the UK. The British government issued a formal apology and Windrush Day is now celebrated annually on June 22 to celebrate the contribution of the Windrush generation and their descendants to the UK.

Key Dates, Events, & Genres

• 1948 - Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks, Essex carrying Caribbean migrants from countries including Jamaica, Bermuda, Trinidad and British Guiana. Migrants were allowed to settle in the UK indefinitely without restrictions.
• 1971 - The new Immigration Act changed the law to grant only temporary residence to most people arriving from Commonwealth countries. This ended the influx from the Caribbean.
• 2018 - The Windrush Scandal broke, forcing the UK government to apologise for deportation threats made to members of the Windrush generation and their descendents.
• 2018 - Kwame Kwei-Armah became artistic director of the Young Vic, London. He is a third-generation descendant of Windrush migrants and curated a series of monologues entitled Soon Gone: A Windrush Chronicle.
• 2018 - Windrush: Movement of the People is staged by Phoenix Dance Theatre, becoming the first contemporary dance work to portray the stories of the Windrush generation.
• 2019 - Helen Edmondson’s adaptations of Andrea Levy’s award-winning novel Small Island premiered at the National Theatre and was subsequently broadcast around the world as part of National Theatre Live.