Early years in Trinidad John was born in
Port of Spain, Trinidad, on 20 December 1924, the son of professional cricketer
George John, who as a fast bowler with the West Indian team toured England in 1923. Errol was home-schooled, before beginning his career as an artist and journalist. After deciding to pursue a career in acting, he joined the Whitehall Theatre Group in Trinidad. Frustration at how few roles were available for black actors led John to playwriting. His first play was
The Tout (1949), In the UK there have been revivals at the
Almeida Theatre (1988, directed by
Maya Angelou), at
Stratford East, and most recently at the Cottesloe Theatre,
Royal National Theatre (2012) in an acclaimed production directed by
Michael Buffong.
Kate Kellaway wrote in
The Observer: "It is marvellous to report that, 55 years on, this play, in its original version, holds its own and seems fresh as the day it was written." On 27 May 1958, John's adapted version of the play for radio, entitled
Small Island Moon, was broadcast on the BBC's
Third Programme. It was produced by
Donald McWhinnie and
Robin Midgley, with a cast led by John himself and including
Barbara Assoon,
Sylvia Wynter,
Lionel Ngakane,
Andrew Salkey,
Robert Adams, and Sheila Clarke (
Boscoe Holder's wife and lead dancer). Errol John's other writing included
Force Majeure,
The Dispossessed and
Hasta Luego: Three Screenplays (1967). For television he wrote
Teleclub (1954) and
Dawn (1963), and was also the author of
The Exiles, part of the
BBC Wednesday Play series. == Selected plays ==