Rakie Ayola

Actress and producer Rakie Ayola grew up in Ely, Cardiff and trained at The National Youth Theatre of Wales (where she first worked with Michael Sheen) and the Royal Welsh College of

Music and Drama. She’s excited to be returning to WMC having first appeared here as Narrator Dr. Pangloss, in last year’s highly acclaimed WNO production of Bernstein’s Candide.

An eclectic career in TV, theatre, film and audio has led to her receiving the BAFTA Best Supporting Actress Award for TV film Anthony, the BAFTA Cymru Best Actress Award for The Pact S2 (on which she was an Executive Producer) and the prestigious BAFTA Cymru Sian Phillips Award. She was awarded Best Female Performance in a play at the Black British Theatre Awards for The Royal Court/NTW production of Ed Thomas’ play On Bear Ridge in which she starred opposite Rhys Ifans.

Earlier this year Rakie appeared at the National Theatre in Winsome Pinnock’s new play The Authenticator. Her other stage work includes The Glow (Royal Court), Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace, West End), 4.48 Psychosis (Crucible), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (Apollo, West End), In The Next Room – The Vibrator Play (Theatre Royal, Bath), The Winter’s Tale (RSC), Welcome To Thebes (National), Dido Queen of Carthage (The Globe), Twelfth Night (Bristol Old Vic), Hamlet (Birmingham Rep), The Merchant of Venice (Sherman).

Her TV work includes The Party, Falling, Kaos, Grace, The Pact, Alex Rider, Shetland, Midsomer Murders, Noughts and Crosses, No Offence, Silent Witness, Doctor Who, Holby City. She is the narrator of Saving Lives in Cardiff and has performed numerous audio plays. Rakie will film Bad Apples and Black Church Bay. Rakie has recently finished filming Michaela Coles’ series First Day on Earth. As Exec Producer her credits include The Pact S2, Hope Is Lost, Twelfth Night and short film Hedgehog made by Shanty Productions which she co-founded with her husband Adam Smethurst. They have 2 daughters and a dachshund.

Rakie is a Trustee of the Welsh National Theatre and Fuel Theatre, a Patron of the Childhood Tumour Trust, Collage Arts and Praxis Performing Arts and an Ambassador for The Anthony Walker Foundation and Black Welsh Music Awards.

She has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship from Aberystwyth University, Trinity Laban School of Music and Dance and RWCMD and an Honorary Doctorate from Warwick University.