Amara Okereke

Amarachi Weruche A. Okereke (born 27 November 1996) is an English actress. She gained prominence through her theatre work. Her films include In the Lost Lands and The Choral (both 2025). On television, she starred in the Amazon Prime series The Morning After.

Early life and education Okereke was born in North Tyneside in 1996, the only daughter of two Nigerian medical professionals. She grew up in Adel, Leeds and attended the Grammar School at Leeds. As a teenager, Okereke joined the National Youth Music Theatre. She went on to study at the Arts Educational School (ArtsEd) in West London, graduating in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in musical theatre.

Career In 2012, Okereke made her debut in the West End as a child actress, playing Cassie in 13 at the Apollo Theatre. Upon graduating from ArtsEd in 2018, she returned to the West End and joined the cast of Les Misérables at the Queen's Theatre. For her performance as Cosette, Okereke won Best Actress in a Musical at The Stage Debut Awards.

This was followed by roles as Laurie in Oklahoma! at Chichester Festival Theatre, Polly Browne in The Boy Friend at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2019, and Wendla in Spring Awakening at the Almeida Theatre in 2021.

In 2022, Okereke became the first black actress to star as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady in its West End revival at the London Coliseum, alongside Harry Hadden-Paton and Vanessa Redgrave. For her performance, Okereke won the Black British Theatre Award for Outstanding Performance in a Musical.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 2022 Red Rose Becky Fox 2 episodes 2024 The Morning After Nina Morgan Main role 2025 In the Lost Lands Melange 2025 Andor Jeen 1 episode 2025 The Choral Mary

Stage Year Title Role Notes 2012 13 Cassie Apollo Theatre, London 2018–2019 Les Misérables Cosette Queen's Theatre, London 2019 Oklahoma! Laurie Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester The Boy Friend Polly Browne Menier Chocolate Factory, London 2021 Spring Awakening Wendla Almeida Theatre, London 2022 My Fair Lady Eliza Doolittle London Coliseum The Light in the Piazza Clara Johnson Alexandra Palace Theatre, London 2025 A Streetcar Named Desire Stella Kowalski Crucible Theatre, Sheffield Echo She King's Head Theatre, London 2026 Top Hat Dale UK tour The Tempest Ariel Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result Ref. 2018 The Stage Debut Awards Best Actress in a Musical Les Misérables 2022 Outstanding Performance in a Musical My Fair Lady