Wikipedia

Talawa Theatre Company

Talawa Theatre Company is a Black British theatre company founded in 1986.[1][2]

Talawa Theatre Company
Formation1986; 38 years ago (1986)
TypeTheatre group
Artistic director(s)
Michael Buffong
Websitewww.talawa.com

The core of Talawa's work is championing reinterpretations of classic plays, developing new writing and directing talent, and developing and producing new plays from and about the Black British Community and Caribbean and African diaspora within Britain.[2][3][4][5]

Talawa Theatre Company is a National Portfolio Organisation, supported by funding from Arts Council England in recognition of consistently high-quality artistic work, and was one of very few organisations to receive an uplift in its grant for the period between 2018 and 2022 in recognition for its audience development.[6][7][8]

Since 2011, Talawa Theatre Company has been led by CEO and Artistic Director Michael Buffong, whose career spans theatre, television, radio and film.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]

In February 2019, Buffong announced plans for a 200-seat on-site performance space at Croydon's Fairfield Halls, describing the move as enabling the organisation to "make outstanding work which will truly diversify and shape the cultural life of the whole country."[19][20][21] Carolyn ML Forsyth joined the organisation in November 2020 to work alongside Michael Buffong as Joint CEO and Executive Director.[22][23][24][18][25]

Talawa's 2021 season, coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighted a mix of livestreamed work and online workshops gradually building towards live performance later in the year.[26][27]

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, and along with all Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisations, Talawa was granted an additional year's grant extension to ensure stability.[28] The 2023-2026 investment programme from Arts Council England ensured that Talawa retained its NPO status with an enhanced grant in view of its audience development and community engagement activity.[29][30]

The name Talawa comes from a Jamaican patois saying "Me lickle but me talawa",[31] meaning to be small but strong.[4][32][33]

Mission

edit

The company's stated mission is "to champion Black Excellence in theatre; to nurture talent in emerging and established artists of African or Caribbean heritage and to tell inspirational and passionate stories reflecting Black experiences through art."[34] In doing so, the company provides opportunities for black directors, writers and actors, and creatives to make theatre on British stages, and to enlarge theatre audiences seeing black work.[1] Talawa's work embraces touring classical works on the mid-scale to regional theatres in the UK, literary and participation activities, finding and developing new writers and scripts, and developing theatre-makers, artists and directors.[9][34][14] Alongside this, Talawa also runs unconscious bias training workshops for educational institutions and corporate clients.[35][36]

History

edit

Jamaican-born Yvonne Brewster, Mona Hammond, and Guyanese Carmen Munroe and Inigo Espejel founded the company in 1986.[1][37][38]

Talawa's first production in 1986 was The Black Jacobins by C. L. R. James, a play that had not been performed in England for 50 years, and never before with an all-black cast.[2][39][40][41]

Since then, Talawa has produced and toured classic work by numerous playwrights and writers including Dennis Scott, Derek Walcott, Galt MacDermot, Wole Soyinka, James Baldwin, Michael Abbensetts, Trevor Rhone, William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, Tariq Ali, Theresa Ikoko, Natasha Marshall and Arthur Miller and worked with a variety of directors and actors including Michaela Coel, Cathy Tyson, Dona Croll, Ray Shell, Norman Beaton, Horace Ove, Paulette Randall, Don Warrington, Sharon D Clarke, Fraser Ayres and David Harewood.[42][2][43]

Talawa had a home at Bloomsbury's Jeannetta Cochrane Theatre from 1991 until 1995, a period within which the company achieved a high profile.[44] Following the departure from the Cochrane Theatre in 1995, the failed attempt to secure a new theatre space in Victoria, and the departure of its founder Yvonne Brewster in 2003, Talawa was briefly led by Ben Thomas, and then Bonnie Greer, Paulette Randall, and Patricia Cumper, under whose direction the company regained Arts Council funding.[45][46] Michael Buffong took over the helm from Patricia Cumper, securing enhanced Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation status for the company and leading to a renewed profile for its work with new artists and its revived classic theatre productions.[37][47][48][49][50] Michael Buffong featured on Creative Review's "50 Creative Leaders" list in 2017,[51] having also featured in the Powerlist, celebrating Britain's most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage.[52]

In February 2019, plans for a 200-seat on-site performance space at Croydon's Fairfield Halls were revealed. The move gave Talawa its first such space since a residency at the Cochrane Theatre came to an end in 1995.[19][20][21]

Artist development

edit

As well as touring major works across the UK, Talawa Theatre Company commissions new plays, and develops theatre artists and directors.

In January 2017, Talawa announced the creation of MAKE, a career development community of Black theatre artists.[53][54][55] The MAKE community creates 250 new opportunities for Black artists every year, across four areas, enabling artists to make connections and build the support they need to create new work.[53][54][55] A Talawa spokesperson commented that "Diversity projects tend to be just that – projects – and as a quick-fix approach, they are not building an infrastructure. What we need is sustained engagement that provides artists with a pathway into the industry, and the footholds to keep them there ...".[53]

As part of MAKE, Talawa also offers a script reading service and produces an annual season of play readings, named Talawa Firsts, which showcases the best new black writing talent. The Company also supports and develops emerging theatre-makers[9] – performers, designers and technicians – through their flagship participation programmes TYPT, and Studio Firsts.[34][37][38][56]

Recent productions

edit

Talawa Theatre Company co-produces a major touring production annually in addition to a rolling programme of artist development and showcases of new work.[13]

Recognition

edit

Recognition is co-created by Amanda Wilkin and Rachael Nanyonjo, written by Amanda Wilkin and directed by Rachael Nanyonjo. Recognition has original music composed by Mercury Prize nominated Seed Ensemble leader Cassie Kinoshi (Published by Decca Publishing) as well as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's compositions.[57][58][59]

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a successful dual heritage African and British composer and Croydon resident. Talawa Theatre Company are presenting Recognition as part of This Is Croydon, London Borough of Culture 2023 programme.

Recognition was largely well received, with one reviewer describing it as "a superb piece of theatre" [60] while others parised the assured direction [61] and the elegance of the staging and strong performances.[62][63]

Running With Lions

edit

Written by Sian Carter (née Davila), Running With Lions began life as an audio play directed by Michael Buffong on BBC Radio 4 as part of the Talawa Stories season.[64][65] In September 2021, Lyric Hammersmith announced the co-production with Talawa of Sian Carter's Running With Lions, which would again be directed by Michael Buffong; the production performed in February 2022.[66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73]

Running With Lions was well received, with critics reserving praise Carter's writing [74][75][76][77][78][79]

A Place For We 2021

edit

A Place for We by Archie Maddocks was announced as a co-production between Talawa Theatre Company and Park Theatre, opening in early October 2021.[26] Having been postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the production returned with a cast including David Webber and Blake Harrison, in a production directed by Michael Buffong.[80][81] Referring to the story and setting of A Place For We, Buffong said: "In Talawa's 35-year history we've been at the forefront of presenting the issues faced by our communities. More than ever, gentrification is the pressing issue of our day."[82] Critical receptions to the play were largely complimentary, with reviews awarding three to five stars.[82] The Guardian review held particular praise for the "subtlety and naturalism" of the production, awarding four stars.[83] Awarding five stars, the Theatre Weekly review dubbed A Place for We "the funniest play of the year".[84] What's On Stage commented that "This production has been a long time coming... but rest assured, it has been worth the wait".[85]

Run It Back 2021

edit

Run It Back is a show with a live DJ set inspired by Black British club culture and was originally devised by Talawa Theatre Company's TYPT 2018 company. Run It Back would have opened the Talawa Studio at Fairfield Halls in spring 2020, but plans were postponed following the lockdowns arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[86][87][88] Run It Back was revived in September 2021 to both critical and audience acclaim.[26][89][90] The reviewer for The Stage awarded the production five stars, stating that it was: "full of exuberance, but it’s not an uncritical celebration. The piece also offers gentle interrogation of some of the more problematic elements of music and club culture, by highlighting homophobic lyrics and violently misogynist behaviour that so often goes unchecked."[91] Meanwhile, The Guardian went further, with Arifa Akbar declaring Run It Back to be: "the purest enactment of 'black joy' – as a political act – I have seen in the past year."[92]

The Tide 2021

edit

In August 2021, Talawa revived The Tide for a free national tour of Talawa's first production created exclusively for outdoor performance. The Tide is a movement based theatre production and is an artistic collaboration between choreographer Jade Hackett and writer Ryan Calais Cameron which explores the narratives and experiences of migration within the United Kingdom,[93]

Talawa Stories

edit

In May 2021 Talawa presented three well received new radio dramas on BBC Radio 4, co-produced with radio production company, feral inc.[16][17][94][95][64][96][97]

Tales From the Front Line

edit

In July 2020, Talawa announced that Tales From the Front Line, based on verbatim interviews from Black key and frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, would be available from Autumn 2020.[98][99][100][14] Tales from the Front Line was launched on 30 November 2020, with the first two films of dramatised verbatim testimony getting good notices.[101][102][103][104]

The first film presented a verbatim narrative from a Teacher, played by Jo Martin, talking about trying to keep themselves and their pupils safe during the pandemic, the emotional and psychological impact of the global Black Lives Matter movement, and the challenges of supporting students' education during an era of great uncertainty. The second film presented a verbatim narrative from an NHS Recovery Worker, played by Sapphire Joy, which highlighted the racial bias in the medical treatment of Black people, and their disdain for performative gratitude during the pandemic, followed by the failure to award pay rises to front line staff. As Buffong explained in interviews at the time, "These are the words of the teacher, the health worker, the train dispatch worker, the woman who works in the supermarket warehouse."[103]

The Guardian reviewer commented that the stories were "not just about expressing anger at systemic injustice. They are miniature character studies, rich in insight and individual detail. They reveal a person and a life, as well as giving a depth of meaning to the high rates of Covid-related deaths among people of colour in Britain."[101] The Stage review focused on the verbatim aspects of the work, stating: "This is a necessary art – an example of the way theatre can be used to educate and promote understanding. Where else can we hear the unadulterated stories of our front-line workers told in their own words?"[102] iPaper stated that it was "Impossible not to listen; impossible to look away" from the pieces.[105]

Many reviewers commented on the quality of the films, as well as the power of the verbatim narratives.[106][107][108][109] Further episodes were released in February and April 2021.[104]

Black Joy

edit

In Autumn 2020 Talawa and Birmingham Repertory Theatre announced their Black Joy season.[110][111] Following that announcement, Birmingham Repertory Theatre revealed that they would hire several spaces "to operate a Nightingale Court from December '20 to June '21".[112] This move was not well received by many Black artists, creatives and community leaders.[113] Press reports highlighted that the move had "alienated staff, audiences and cultural workforce", leading to criticism from prominent figures, including the comedian Joe Lycett.[114][115][116] Both The Times and The Daily Telegraph referred to figures from the House of Commons library, which showed that black and minority ethnic people are over-represented within the criminal justice system, accounting for 23 per cent of people prosecuted (against 16 per cent of population), and 27 per cent of prison inmates and, with average sentences longer than those of white people.[113][117] The New York Times highlighted the lack of transparency around Birmingham Repertory Theatre's decision.[118]

Subsequently, Talawa announced "…that having to make the difficult calls between maintaining the creative and political integrity of cultural buildings, and preserving the jobs of those who work within them, is a position arts leaders shouldn't be forced into", going on to state: "The decision Birmingham Rep have taken to host a Nightingale Court does not align with Talawa's commitment to Black artists and communities, the communities most affected by this decision. It has threatened the integrity of the Black Joy season; regrettably the partnership is no longer tenable under current circumstances."[119][120][121][122] Talawa have stated that they are "exploring our options" to still bring the season "to the audiences it was intended for".[119][121][123]

COVID-19 pandemic

edit

In common with other parts of the live performance sector, and in line with advice from the UK Government and health authorities, Talawa Theatre Company staff transferred to working from home, releasing updates on company activity in early May 2020 [124] and late September 2020.[125] In common with many theatre companies at a time when live performance was not possible, Talawa transferred activities online, holding advice and career development sessions, and developing work for release in digital or broadcast formats as part of Tales from the Front Line and Talawa Stories for BBC Radio 4. No Talawa staff were placed on furlough, made redundant or worked reduced hours.

A Place for We

edit

In October 2019, Talawa announced the co-production with Park Theatre (London) of Archie Maddocks's debut play A Place for We, which was first performed in a staged reading at Talawa Firsts 2018.[126][127][128] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the production, which was to have played to audiences in May and June 2020, was postponed.[126][129]

A Place for We performed in a Talawa and Park Theatre co-production at Park Theatre in October 2021.[26]

Run It Back

edit

In January 2020, Talawa announced Run It Back, a rave-inspired show with a live DJ set that had been originally devised by Talawa Theatre Company's TYPT 2018 company. Run It Back was to have opened the Talawa Studio at Fairfield Halls and played from late March to early April 2020.[86][87] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the production was postponed.[88] Run It Back was announced as part of Talawa's 2021 season, performing in September 2021 and was well received by critics and audiences alike, with the Guardian's critic, Arifa Akbar describing it as "This is the purest enactment of 'black joy' – as a political act – I have seen in the past year".[26][89][130]

The Tide

edit

In February 2019, Talawa announced The Tide, a Talawa Theatre Company, Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, and Breakin' Convention co-production, and Talawa's first ever show created exclusively for outdoor performance.[131] The Tide played at Brighton Festival on 11 May, at Norfolk & Norwich Festival on 18 and 19 May and at Greenwich + Docklands International Festival on 29 June 2019.[132][133][134][135]

The Tide was also announced as part of Talawa's 2021 season, returning to the Greenwich+Docklands International Festival and also popping up in Croydon.[26]

Superhoe

edit

In October 2018, Talawa and Royal Court Theatre announced their co-production of Superhoe by Nicôle Lecky, which had previously been performed as a staged reading at Talawa Firsts in 2018.[136][137][138] Superhoe tells the story of Sasha, a wannabe singer living with her mother and step-father in Plaistow, East London. A fraught relationship with them propels Sasha out into a world of cam and sex work, and Instagram fakery. There was praise for Lecky, with one reviewer writing: "performing her own raw and fiery solo piece, she's a revelation...."[139] while another stated that the "slow reveal of all the ways in which Sasha has been neglected, damaged and violated is deeply affecting."[140][141][142][143] The play was adapted into a TV-series, Mood, in 2022.[144]

Guys and Dolls

edit

Talawa announced their winter 2017 co-production with the Royal Exchange Theatre of the Damon Runyon-inspired musical, Guys and Dolls, the first UK production with an all-Black cast.[145][146][147][148][149] Among the cast announced for Guys and Dolls were Ray Fearon, Ashley Zhanghazha, Abiona Omonua, and Lucy Vandi.[150][151] Guys and Dolls played at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre in an extended run from December 2017 to February 2018.

Reviews had particular praise for the music, direction, relocation to Harlem and sense of spectacle. As Lyn Gardner noted in The Guardian, "the gamblers ... are a bunch of sharp-suited peacocks clad in rainbow hues."[152] The reviewer for The Times wrote: "Whoever had the idea of moving this classic musical from one part of New York to another bit, just up the road, needs to be congratulated. This version of Frank Loesser's musical, which swirls around the lives of the petty gangsters and their 'dolls' who inhabit New York's underbelly, moves the action to Harlem at its prewar height in 1939. It is a Talawa production with an all-black cast and it is terrific from the get-go."[153] The Observer noted: "Relocated to Harlem, this fine new production of Frank Loesser’s classic musical retains a threat of violence under a cartoon-bright exterior."[154]

Half Breed

edit

Described variously as a story about growing up mixed-race, and as a story about friendship, Half Breed was written by Natasha Marshall and first performed at Talawa Firsts 2016 before being developed further by both Talawa and the Soho Theatre.[155] That same partnership presented Half Breed at Edinburgh in summer 2017.[156][157][158][159] At the time Marshall said: "My whole life I've been holding my breath but when I perform Half-Breed I feel like I'm breathing. I want to bring something real and different to the Fringe. I want to create a conversation, I want to open people's minds up."[160]

Half Breed was nominated as a "Best New Play" at the UK Theatre Awards.[161][155] Half Breed was also nominated for the "Best New Play", "Best Female Performance" and "Most Promising New Playwright" awards in the Offies, an award presented by Off-West End.[162]

Half Breed had a sell-out London run following its success at Edinburgh.[155][163] The co-production of Half Breed toured India in autumn 2017, where it was well received by audiences and critics alike.[164][165][166][167][168]

Half Breed toured the UK in Spring 2018 as a co-production between Talawa Theatre Company and Soho Theatre.[169][170] Half Breed was also broadcast on BBC4 in April 2021 as part of "Culture in Quarantine".[171][172][173]

Girls

edit

Also in 2016, Talawa also co-produced the award-winning play by Theresa Ikoko,[174] Girls, the story of three young women kidnapped by extremists.[174][175][176][177][178][179]

The Times referred to Girls as "Scorchingly intelligent and as powerful as a gut punch",[175] while Time Out called it "clever, audacious, entertaining and full of promise."[180][181]

Theresa Ikoko commented on her experience of working with Talawa to get the story produced, saying: "This isn't the first play I've written, but it's my first produced play. The first play I wrote, I didn't really know it was a play, it was just for me. I would read it over the phone to my friend and when I'd finished he said I had to show it to someone. Talawa Theatre Company found me and [artistic director] Michael Buffong put that play in a Talawa Firsts show, and I got signed by my agent there ... Talawa completely took a chance on me. I had no training or experience or credentials, and there was no one to offer a reference. But Michael believed in me. It took me forever though, probably until the opening night of Girls at HighTide, for me to believe him."[182]

In 2017, Girls went on tour with a new cast, having first played at the Edinburgh Festival, where it was presented as part of the British Council Edinburgh Showcase.[183]

King Lear

edit

In October 2015, Talawa announced a new production of William Shakespeare's King Lear starring Don Warrington in the title role.[50][184][185] King Lear was co-produced with the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.

Reviews singled out the production for being "as close to definitive as can be",[186][187] "a significant production"[188] and "outstanding".[189] Don Warrington's performance as King Lear was described as "a heartbreaking tour de force".[190]

In late June 2016, Talawa Theatre Company announced the film of King Lear, in a collaboration with the Royal Exchange Theatre and funded by the digital commissioning body The Space. The film was available to view on-demand and free of charge on BBC iPlayer and the British Council's websites for three months in summer 2016, ahead of a cinema release in September and October 2016, and closed 2016 by being screened on BBC4 on Christmas Day.[191][192][193][194][195]

All My Sons

edit

Talawa Theatre Company toured a revival of Arthur Miller's All My Sons in spring 2015.[196][197][198][199]

Critics described the production as "heart wrenching",[200] noting that "Talawa's contribution to the Arthur Miller centenary ... is a worthwhile one"[201] and one that "ratchets up the tension".[199]

Moon on a Rainbow Shawl

edit

The 2013–14 production was a revival of Moon on a Rainbow Shawl by Errol John that was directed by Michael Buffong, which toured across the UK, in addition to playing at the Royal National Theatre.[202][203][204] Critics described the show as "an absolute must-see"[205] "a well-crafted slow burner"[206] and "treats the characters as real people rather than outrageous exotics ... Justice, you feel, has at last been done ..."[207]

Further reading

edit
  • David Vivian Johnson, Talawa Theatre Company: A Theatrical History and the Brewster Era, Methuen Drama, 2021, ISBN 9781350107977.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Black & Asian Performance in Britain 1970 onwards - Talawa Theatre Company". V&A.
  2. ^ a b c d "Records of Talawa Theatre Company, 1962-2007", Victoria and Albert Museum: Theatre Collections.
  3. ^ Kolawole, Helen (26 July 2003). "Look who's taking the stage". The Guardian.
  4. ^ a b "New Black theatre companies", Moving Here – Migration histories.
  5. ^ "Homepage". Talawa.
  6. ^ "Case Study - Talawa Theatre Company". The Audience Agency.
  7. ^ "Museums, libraries, artforms and the National Portfolio | Arts Council England". Artscouncil.org.uk. 3 July 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  8. ^ "The Editor's View: No alarms and no surprises in NPO funding - Opinion". The Stage. 27 June 2017.
  9. ^ a b c "Michael Buffong: 'Putting black actors on stage is the easy bit' - Interviews". The Stage. 28 March 2016.
  10. ^ Woolman, Natalie (13 October 2011). "Michael Buffong appointed Talawa artistic director". The Stage.
  11. ^ Gardner, Lyn (9 June 2015), "Do we need diversity quotas for theatre?", The Guardian.
  12. ^ Snow, Georgia (5 June 2015), "Michael Buffong: 'Use diversity quotas or nothing will change'", The Stage.
  13. ^ a b "Bringing Black into the Theatre Mainstream" (Michael Buffong profile), Arts Industry (AI), 16 December 2012.
  14. ^ a b c Bano, Tim (29 July 2020). "Michael Buffong: 'This has to be a moment of absolute change, of reset'". The Stage.
  15. ^ "Oliver: Lagos To London". Media Centre. BBC. March 2020.
  16. ^ a b "Talawa Stories | Three new audio dramas from Talawa Theatre Company and feral inc. for BBC Radio 4". Talawa.
  17. ^ a b "BBC Radio 4 and Talawa Theatre Company showcase three new audio dramas by rising talents". Media Centre. BBC. 23 April 2021.
  18. ^ a b Akbar, Arifa (26 March 2021). "Talawa theatre company: 'It's time to double down on Black Lives Matter pledges'". The Guardian.
  19. ^ a b Brown, Mark (19 February 2019). "Head of Talawa theatre company criticises lack of diversity in arts". The Guardian.
  20. ^ a b Snow, Georgia (20 February 2019). "Talawa to become resident company at Croydon's Fairfield Halls". The Stage.
  21. ^ a b Wainwright, Oliver (18 September 2019). "From Basil Brush to Broadway: how Fairfield Halls came back from panto hell". The Guardian.
  22. ^ "NEWS: Talawa Theatre Company Announces Senior Team". Love London Love Culture. 28 September 2020.
  23. ^ "Talawa Theatre Company announces enhanced senior leadership team". ArtsPod. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  24. ^ "Talawa Theatre Company Announces Enhanced Senior Leadership Team". Broadway World. 28 September 2020.
  25. ^ "Talawa: To build back better, theatre must empower Black artists and leaders". The Stage. 1 April 2021.
  26. ^ a b c d e f "Talawa's 2021 Season Announcement". Talawa.
  27. ^ Bosanquet, Theo (8 June 2021). "New Talawa season marks company's 35th anniversary". WhatsOnStage.
  28. ^ "Requirements of funded organisations". Arts Council England. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  29. ^ "2023-26 Investment Programme". Arts Council England. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  30. ^ "NPO decisions rewarded diverse organisations, but was it enough?". The Stage. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  31. ^ "Our Story", Talawa website.
  32. ^ Obano, Nisha, "Talawa Theatre Company". Encyclopedia of AfroEuropean Studies.
  33. ^ Thompson, Tosin (2 March 2021). "Interview | Yvonne Brewster: 'I wasn't going to faff around the edges of the fringe'". The Guardian.
  34. ^ a b c "Talawa's Mission", Talawa Theatre website.
  35. ^ Jackson, Beau (23 September 2020). "Interview: Unconscious bias and diversity training from a theatre company". HR.
  36. ^ Khaos, Marissa (16 October 2020). "'Sitting back and listening doesn't work': An interview with Talawa Theatre community engagement producer Roxan Kamali-Sarvestani". The Upcoming.
  37. ^ a b c Curtis, Nick (15 August 2012). "Michael Buffong: 'I want to turn Talawa into the go-to company for black talent'". London Evening Standard.
  38. ^ a b Iqbal, Nosheen (29 May 2011), "Talawa theatre company: the fights of our lives", The Guardian.
  39. ^ Brewster, Yvonne (7 September 2017). "Directing The Black Jacobins". Discovering Literature: 20th Century. British Library.
  40. ^ "Programme for The Black Jacobins by C L R James, 1986". Collection items, British Library.
  41. ^ "The Black Jacobins". Talawa.
  42. ^ "30 years of achievement". Talawa. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  43. ^ Howard, Tony (25 March 2014), "We need more racial diversity on the stage both sides of the pond", New Statesman.
  44. ^ Bartholomew, Roy (1 November 1995), "Homeless, but not rootless", The Independent.
  45. ^ Kennedy, Maev (14 July 2005). "Hopes fade for Britain's first black theatre". The Guardian.
  46. ^ "Patricia Cumper ends five-year run at Talawa", The Stage, 29 June 2011.
  47. ^ Wicker, Tom (28 March 2016). "Michael Buffong: 'Putting black actors on stage is the easy bit'". The Stage.
  48. ^ Gardner, Lyn (27 June 2017). "Diversity is the real winner in Arts Council England's new round of funding". The Guardian.
  49. ^ Hemley, Matthew (22 April 2015). "National Theatre and RSC should 'lead by example' by appointing more BAME associates, says Verma". The Stage.
  50. ^ a b Thorpe, Vanessa (25 October 2015), "After a century of black British theatre, actors still struggle to take centre stage" (on Lenny Henry's BBC Radio 4 series), The Observer.
  51. ^ "Creative Leaders 50 - People driving change in the creative industries". www.creativereview.co.uk.
  52. ^ "Powerlist". www.powerlist.co.uk.
  53. ^ a b c Snow, Georgia (1 February 2017). "Talawa launches Make scheme to support black artists in theatre". The Stage.
  54. ^ a b BWW News Desk. "Talawa Theatre Creates New Industry Pathway For Black Artists".
  55. ^ a b "MAKE: a brand new community of Black artists". Talawa.
  56. ^ John Nassouri, "Islington people: BBC director takes reins at Black-led theatre company", Islington Gazette, 24 June 2012.
  57. ^ "Recognition". Talawa. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  58. ^ "Full cast and musicians announced for Talawa's new production Recognition". Theatre Weekly. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  59. ^ Darvill, Josh (15 May 2023). "Cast and creatives revealed for Talawa's new production Recognition". Stage Chat. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  60. ^ Fitter, Alan (6 June 2023). "Talawa's production of Recognition at Fairfield Halls". LondonTheatre1. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  61. ^ "Recognition – Fairfield Halls, London". The Reviews Hub. 6 June 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  62. ^ "Recognition review – student's ode to a neglected composer". The Guardian. 6 June 2023. Archived from the original on 13 June 2023.
  63. ^ "Recognition review at Talawa Studios, Fairfield Halls, Croydon". The Stage. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  64. ^ a b "Talawa Stories: Running with Lions".
  65. ^ "Black British theatre's great leap forward". The Guardian. 4 July 2022. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023.
  66. ^ "Lyric Hammersmith Theatre announces 2022 Season". Lyric. 15 September 2021.
  67. ^ Wood, Alex (15 September 2021). "Lyric Hammersmith Theatre announces 2022 season | WhatsOnStage".
  68. ^ Masso, Giverny (15 September 2021). "New Mike Bartlett play and black culture festival to feature in Lyric Hammersmith season". The Stage.
  69. ^ "Running with Lions". Talawa.
  70. ^ "Black British theatre's great leap forward". The Guardian. 4 July 2022. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023.
  71. ^ Hemming, Sarah (24 February 2022). "The RSC's Much Ado About Nothing is an Afrofuturist-inspired spectacle". Financial Times. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  72. ^ "Running With Lions review – grief haunts a British Caribbean family". The Guardian. 16 February 2022. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022.
  73. ^ "The week in theatre: Two Billion Beats; Running With Lions; The Forest; The Chairs – review". The Guardian. 20 February 2022. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023.
  74. ^ Curtis, Nick (16 February 2022). "Running With Lions review: an extraordinarily assured debut". Evening Standard. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  75. ^ Akbar, Arifa (16 February 2022). "Running With Lions review – grief haunts a British Caribbean family". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  76. ^ Lukowski, Andrzej (16 February 2022). "Running with Lions is a beautiful new play about three generations of British-Jamaican family". Time Out London. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  77. ^ Allfree, Claire (16 February 2022). "Running with Lions, Lyric Hammersmith, review: a touching study of grief and hope". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  78. ^ "Running with Lions – review • Afridiziak Theatre News". 20 February 2022.
  79. ^ "'Running With Lions' review — a lovingly crafted intergenerational family drama". 16 February 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  80. ^ "Powerful new play 'A Place for We'". The Voice. 8 September 2021.
  81. ^ "A Place for We at the Park Theatre casting announced | WhatsOnStage". 7 September 2021.
  82. ^ a b "A Place for We". Talawa.
  83. ^ Ryan, Anya (12 October 2021). "A Place for We review – three generations keep London's flame alive". The Guardian.
  84. ^ "Review: A Place for We at Park Theatre". Theatre Weekly. 11 October 2021.
  85. ^ Ainley, Oliver (12 October 2021). "A Place for We at Park Theatre – review". WhatsOnStage.
  86. ^ a b "Run It Back". Talawa.
  87. ^ a b "'Run It Back'". Time Out. 25 February 2020.
  88. ^ a b Editorial Staff (9 April 2020). "Theatres and shows with cancelled or rescheduled performances in response to coronavirus". WhatOnStage.
  89. ^ a b "Run It Back 2021". Talawa.
  90. ^ Cristi, A.A. (10 August 2021). "Talawa Brings Rave to Theatre with RUN IT BACK Opening at Fairfield Halls This September". Broadway World.
  91. ^ "Review: Run It Back, Talawa, Fairfield Halls, Croydon, London – 'full of exuberance'". The Stage. 6 September 2021.
  92. ^ Akbar, Arifa (6 September 2021). "'Take back power': Talawa's Run It Back and the politics of black joy". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 September 2021.
  93. ^ "The Tide 2021". Talawa.
  94. ^ Tope, Helen (7 May 2021). "Talawa Stories: Running with Lions – BBC Radio 4". The Reviews Hub.
  95. ^ Philpott, Maryam (14 May 2021). "Talawa Stories: NSA – BBC Radio 4". The Reviews Hub. London.
  96. ^ "Talawa Stories: NSA". Talawa.
  97. ^ "Talawa Stories: Precious Little Thing". Talawa.
  98. ^ "Tales from the Front Line". Talawa. 2 June 2020.
  99. ^ Bakare, Lanre (6 July 2020). "London theatre group to tell pandemic stories of black frontline staff". The Guardian.
  100. ^ Wood, Alex (2 July 2020). "Talawa Theatre to create new series using verbatim interviews from Black key and frontline workers". WhatsOnStage.
  101. ^ a b Akbar, Arifa (27 November 2020). "'It's a lot of work being black in Britain' – Tales from the Front Line … and Other Stories – review". The Guardian.
  102. ^ a b "Tales from the Front Line, Parts 1 and 2". The Stage. 9 December 2020.
  103. ^ a b Rainbow, Sophie (30 November 2020). "Tales from the Front Line: How this London theatre company set out to tell the stories of Black key workers". Evening Standard.
  104. ^ a b "Tales from the Front Line ... and other stories". Talawa. November 2020.
  105. ^ Marlowe, Sam (5 January 2021). "Tales from the Front Line, Talawa Theatre: vital and nakedly honest stories from Black key workers". inews.
  106. ^ Philpott, Maryam (4 December 2020). "Review: Tales from the Front Line – Talawa Theatre Company". The Reviews Hub.
  107. ^ Smith, Anna (6 December 2020). "REVIEW: Tales From the Front Line… And Other Stories, Talawa (on Youtube)". Pocketsize Theatre.
  108. ^ Collins, Geoge (5 December 2020). "Review: Tales From The Front Lines…And Other Stories, Talawa Theatre". A Younger Theatre.
  109. ^ Omaweng, Chris (4 December 2020). "Tales from the Front Line… and other stories – Review". LondonTheatre1.
  110. ^ Snow, Georgia (26 November 2020). "Birmingham Rep and Talawa to co-produce shows celebrating black talent". The Stage.
  111. ^ Tammy V (2 December 2020). "Talawa and Birmingham Rep announce new major collaboration and producing partnership: Black Joy". The British Black List.
  112. ^ "Nightingale Court at The REP". Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
  113. ^ a b Sanderson, David (24 December 2020). "Black artists rebel against turning theatre into Nightingale court". The Times.
  114. ^ Paxton, Charlotte (15 December 2020). "Birmingham Rep accused of 'breaking trust' as it leases space for 'Nightingale Courts'". Birmingham Mail.
  115. ^ Rodger, James (17 December 2020). "Birmingham Rep critics 'threatened with violence' after slamming Nightingale Court lease". Birmingham Mail.
  116. ^ Rodger, James (17 December 2020). "'It undermines commitment to minorities' - Joe Lycett urges Birmingham Rep to reconsider Nightingale Court lease". Birmingham Mail.
  117. ^ Swerling, Gabriella (24 December 2020). "Black theatre company pulls out of Birmingham theatre over Nightingale Court row". The Telegraph.
  118. ^ Marshall, Alex (18 January 2021). "A Theater Serves as a Courthouse, Provoking Drama Offstage". The New York Times.
  119. ^ a b "Black Joy Update". Talawa. 22 December 2020.
  120. ^ Snow, Georgia (22 December 2020). "Talawa calls off Birmingham Rep after venue becomes temporary court". The Stage.
  121. ^ a b "Theatre company pulls out of 'Black Joy' season over venue's court deal". BBC News. 22 December 2020.
  122. ^ Mohdin, Aamna (24 December 2020). "Black company pulls out of Birmingham theatre over Nightingale court". The Guardian.
  123. ^ Campbell, Joel (23 December 2020). "Talawa issues statement in response to Birmingham Rep becoming a Nightingale Court". The Voice.
  124. ^ "An Update on Talawa Activity and Looking Ahead". Talawa.
  125. ^ "Talawa during COVID-19". Talawa. 22 September 2020.
  126. ^ a b "A Place for We". Talawa.
  127. ^ Thomas, Sophie (14 October 2019). "New season at Park Theatre announced, featuring a translated play by Simon Callow". London Theatre.
  128. ^ "Meet the Shortlist- Archie Maddocks". The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting. 2 November 2017.
  129. ^ "A Place for We". Park Theatre.
  130. ^ "'Take back power': Talawa's Run It Back and the politics of black joy". The Guardian. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 11 September 2021.
  131. ^ "The Tide". Talawa.
  132. ^ Baldwin, Louisa (13 May 2019). "What to expect as The Garden Party returns to Norwich". Eastern Daily Press.
  133. ^ "The Garden Party". N&N Festival.
  134. ^ "Without Walls". Brighton Festival.
  135. ^ "The Tide | Talawa | Greenwich+Docklands International Festival". Archived from the original on 29 May 2019.
  136. ^ Snow, Georgia (22 October 2018). "Jack Thorne and John Tiffany reunite for Royal Court Theatre's new season". The Stage.
  137. ^ "What's On: Superhoe by Nicôle Lecky". Royal Court.
  138. ^ "Superhoe" at Talawa.
  139. ^ Hitchings, Henry (5 February 2019). "Superhoe review: Nicôle Lecky is a revelation in smart, authentic and provocative solo piece". Evening Standard.
  140. ^ Katherine M. Graham, "Pains and perils of a Superhoe", Morning Star, 7 February 2019.
  141. ^ Cavendish, Dominic (6 February 2019), "Superhoe, Royal Court Upstairs, review: a vivid and touching portrait of millennial angst", The Telegraph.
  142. ^ Allfree, Claire (7 February 2019), "Theatre review: Superhoe", Metro.
  143. ^ Harrison, Daniella (5 February 2019). "Review: Superhoe (Royal Court)". What's On Stage.
  144. ^ Khan, Coco (18 February 2022). "'Commissioners: hire more people with different experiences!' Meet Nicôle Lecky, TV's newest superstar". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  145. ^ "Cast announced for UK's first all-black Guys and Dolls". 18 October 2017.
  146. ^ BWW News Desk. "Casting Revealed For UK's First All-Black GUYS AND DOLLS".
  147. ^ Wiegand, Chris (7 June 2017). "Derek Jarman's punk classic Jubilee to be reignited on stage". The Guardian.
  148. ^ "Cast Announced for U.K.'s First All-Black Production of Guys and Dolls". Playbill. 18 October 2017.
  149. ^ "Potter star joins first all-black Guys and Dolls cast". Digital Spy. 19 October 2017.
  150. ^ Rutter, Claire (18 October 2017). "Guys and Dolls musical announces UK's first ever all-black cast". Metro.
  151. ^ "Guys and Dolls". Talawa.
  152. ^ Gardner, Lyn (7 December 2017). "Guys and Dolls review – swaggering Harlem grit rocks the Broadway boat". The Guardian.
  153. ^ Treneman, Ann (8 December 2017). "Theatre review: Guys and Dolls at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  154. ^ Brennan, Clare (10 December 2017). "Guys and Dolls review – larger than life, but with a core of grit". The Observer.
  155. ^ a b c "Half Breed at Soho Theatre". Talawa.
  156. ^ Brown, Griselda Murray (11 August 2017). "Edinburgh Festival Fringe: highlights". Financial Times.
  157. ^ Brennan, Clare (13 August 2017). "Edinburgh theatre review – a world without borders, almost". The Guardian.
  158. ^ Treneman, Ann (17 August 2017). "Edinburgh theatre review: Half Breed at The Box, Assembly George Square". The Times – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  159. ^ Lee, Veronica (14 August 2017). "Half Breed, theatre review: Funny, gripping show packs a punch". evening Standard.
  160. ^ "Half Breed at Edinburgh". Talawa.
  161. ^ Snow, Georgia (14 September 2017). "Women dominate best new play category at UK Theatre Awards". The Stage.
  162. ^ "Subscription". Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  163. ^ Brinkhurst-Cuff, Charlie (8 October 2017). "Why we all need a bolshie friend - Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff". The Guardian.
  164. ^ Datta, Sravasti (3 October 2017). "How dark are those racist jokes". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
  165. ^ Sandra Marina Fernandes (5 October 2017). "Half Breed speaks about racism with a touch of humour". Times of India.
  166. ^ "Half Breed - British Council". uk-india.britishcouncil.in.
  167. ^ Hasan, Snigdha (26 October 2017). "Creators of a poignant play tell us how racism still lingers". mid-day.com.
  168. ^ Phukan, Vikram (31 October 2017). "'All of us have been victims and perpetrators'". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
  169. ^ "Half Breed UK Tour 2018". Talawa.
  170. ^ "Half Breed UK Tour 2018". Soho Theatre.
  171. ^ Wood, Alex (4 December 2020). "BBC to partner with theatres to record plays for TV, radio and streaming". WhatsOnStage.
  172. ^ "Lights Up". Media Centre. BBC.
  173. ^ "<Looking Back at Half Breed". Talawa.
  174. ^ a b "Reviews for Girls". Talawa.com. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  175. ^ a b Marlowe, Sam (13 September 2016). "Theatre: HighTide Festival at Aldeburgh, Suffolk" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  176. ^ Abraham, Amelia (5 October 2016). "How to Talk About Terrorism On Stage". Vice.
  177. ^ "'I'm so bloody glad I get to call myself a woman' - The F-Word". www.thefword.org.uk. 15 September 2016.
  178. ^ Al-Hassan, Aliya. "BWW Review: GIRLS, Soho Theatre, 1 October 2016".
  179. ^ "GIRLS Hightide Festival, Aldeburgh". 18 September 2016.
  180. ^ "Girls". TimeOut.
  181. ^ "Reviews for Girls". Talawa.
  182. ^ Snow, Georgia (25 October 2016). "Theresa Ikoko: 'Putting your work out there is like sending your child to school naked' - Interviews". The Stage.
  183. ^ "Girls on tour". Talawa.
  184. ^ "King Lear". Talawa.
  185. ^ Hutchinson, David (12 October 2015). "Don Warrington cast as King Lear at the Royal Exchange". The Stage.
  186. ^ Hickling, Alfred (7 April 2016). "King Lear review – as close to definitive as can be". The Guardian.
  187. ^ "King Lear Reviewed". Talawa.
  188. ^ Bassett, Kate (8 April 2016). "Theatre: King Lear at the Royal Exchange, Manchester" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  189. ^ "King Lear review at Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester". The Stage.
  190. ^ Allfree, Claire (18 May 2016). "Don Warrington's King Lear is a heartbreaking tour de force". The Telegraph.
  191. ^ "Get closer to King Lear". The Space. 12 April 2016.
  192. ^ Higgins, Eleanor (30 June 2016). "King Lear: The Film - News - Royal Exchange Theatre". www.royalexchange.co.uk.
  193. ^ "King Lear: The Film". Talawa.
  194. ^ "King Lear - BBC Four". BBC.
  195. ^ "BBC Four - Schedules, Sunday 25 December 2016". BBC.
  196. ^ "All My Sons tour marks Arthur Miller centenary", BBC News, 13 February 2015.
  197. ^ Andrew Clarke, "All My Sons review", The Stage, 18 February 2015.
  198. ^ Glen Pearce, "All My Sons – New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich", The Public Reviews, 17 February 2015.
  199. ^ a b Anne Morley-Priestman, "All My Sons (Tour) - 'Michael Buffong ratchets up the tension'", What's On Stage, 18 February 2015.
  200. ^ "All My Sons – Richmond Theatre, London". 1 April 2015.
  201. ^ Dihal, K. (19 March 2015). "Review: All My Sons". The Oxford Culture Review.
  202. ^ "Talawa's Michael Buffong to revive Moon on a Rainbow Shawl". The Stage. 8 May 2013.
  203. ^ "Moon on a Rainbow Shawl by Errol John", National Theatre.
  204. ^ Kellaway, Kate (18 March 2012), "Moon on a Rainbow Shawl; Can We Talk about This?; Shivered – review", The Observer.
  205. ^ Pringle, Stewart (16 March 2012). "Moon on a Rainbow Shawl – Exeunt Magazine". exeuntmagazine.com.
  206. ^ Hitchings, Henry (15 March 2012). "Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, National, SE1 - review". Evening Standard.
  207. ^ Billington, Michael (15 March 2012). "Moon on a Rainbow Shawl – review". The Guardian.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talawa_Theatre_Company&oldid=1242707608"