Yvonne Isimeme Ibazebo started her media career as an editor in the publishing industry …

She has since produced a number of acclaimed films and television series, working on productions from Half of a Yellow Sun to Top Boy, Guerrilla to National Treasure. More recently Yvonne produced Rye Lane, the critically acclaimed romantic comedy starring David Jonsson (Industry, BBC/ HBO) and Vivian Oparah (An Octoroon, National Theatre) as its leads.

Rye Lane is a funny, joyful romantic comedy about meeting the right person at the worst possible time. Two broken hearts spend the day trying to heal themselves through solving each other’s problems, along the way finding new purpose and a potential soulmate. It’s an optimistic ode to being in your 20s and trying to figure out your place in the world, whilst looking for love (and the perfect burrito) in a vibrant London town.

We spoke to Yvonne to find out more about Rye Lane and how it compares to her previous projects …

How did you get on board with Rye Lane?

The first time I heard about the project was around two years ago, when I was working on the Netflix production of Top Boy. Damian Jones (award-winning film producer) got in touch with me and sent me the script. I instantly fell in love with everything about it. I liked that it was a romantic comedy set in the Black community, something we rarely make in the UK. 

What was it like working with David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah?

Raine Allen Miller (director)  and Kharmel Cochrane (casting director) spent months auditioning for the two leads, before we settled on David and Vivian. They had already done some stellar work in their careers, and it was really nice working with them. They both had such amazing chemistry on screen and always brought a refreshing energy to their scenes. You could tell that they were really having a lot of fun with it all too. 

Was it emotional wrapping on such a fun project?

We put together a really fantastic crew, so it was sad to part ways. But it’s also great that we have managed to achieve what we set out to do. I am looking forward to the next stage, seeing the audiences’ reaction to it.  

Are there any similarities between this film and Top Boy?

Top Boy was more of a gritty crime drama about making it on the streets, whilst Rye Lane  is a light-hearted comedy at its core. Top Boy did have some humour though.  However, though they are very different genres, as a producer I am always attracted to the material; to the script. If the script is good, if it’s engaging then I am in. 

You’ve spoken of your joy about Rye Lane being light-hearted, how important do you feel that it is for Black culture to have love stories that aren’t rooted in trauma?

I can’t tell you how happy I am. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have films that tackle deeper issues, those types of films are definitely needed. But we need to have a range, different types of films to balance things out. It can’t be all doom and gloom. Thankfully, there have been a few films in production that should be coming out this year. I am really looking forward to them being released. 

Are we moving more towards a place where we can have a wider spectrum of Black stories in the UK?

I think we are. There are a lot of producers  out there working hard to bring fresh stories  to our screens. We’ve got people like Joy [Gharoro-Akpojotor] who worked on Blue Story, Fiona [Lamptey] who was recently appointed the Director of Netflix UK features, Bennett McGhee who worked on Mogul Mowgli and Dominic Buchanan who produced End of the F’ing World and won a BAFTA.

You’ve been involved in so many different things over the years. What keeps you interested in the jobs and telling all of these stories?

Every film is a new puzzle for me to piece together. I learn something new with every project that I do and that means that it’s always fresh and exciting! 

You can find out more bout Yvonne’s projects by following this link to her website.

Rye Lane will be released in cinemas March 17th 2023.

The festive season has officially begun!

So, of course, this month’s theatre selection had to feature a healthy portion of pantomimes – a particular shout out to Brixton House’s Alice in Wonderland and the Lyric Hammersmith’s Jack and the Beanstalk. But, if shouting “he’s behind you!” isn’t really your jam, make sure to catch the Royal Court’s One Night Stands or Yasmin Joseph’s Christmas in the Sunshine at the Unicorn Theatre…

Alice in Wonderland by Jack Bradfield

After an explosive argument with Mum at a Victoria line station, eleven-year-old Alice leaps onto the tube seconds before the doors hiss shut. Trapped on a train speeding into Nonsense, surrounded by weird and wonderful passengers, and at the mercy of a Queen who won’t relinquish the controls, can Alice turn this train around? Multi-award-winning company Poltergeist weaves rap music together with the sights and sounds of Brixton into a hundred-mile-an-hour Christmas adventure. This alternative family Christmas show is created by Poltergeist.

Alice in Wonderland plays at Brixton House from Thursday 1^st – Saturday 31^st December.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Jack and the Beanstalk by Jude Christian and Sonia Jalaly

Join Jack and the gang for a climb of a lifetime as they battle giants and thorny baddies in hopes of bringing ‘glory glory’ back to Hammersmith. Expect beanstalk climbing, giant defeating, golden egg laying, extreme skateboarding, milk explosions, singing cows, some absolutely outrageous outfits and of course Beyoncé! Starring Leah St Luce as Jack, Emmanuel Akwafo as Dame Trott and Jamal Franklin and Toyan Thomas-Browne as Ensemble.

Jack and the Beanstalk will be playing at the Lyric Hammersmith from Saturday 19^th November – Saturday 7^th January.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Scroogelicious by Geoff Aymer

A big-hearted production based on Charles Dickens’s immortal classic A Christmas Carol, written by Geoffrey Aymer (script and lyrics) and Jordan Xavier (music). Feel-good, funny and full of joy, this cracker of a production immerses the community in this uplifting Christmas tale. Theatre Peckham’s Scroogelicious fills the auditorium with music, mischief and merriment.

Scroogelicious will be playing at Theatre Peckham from Thursday 1^st – Friday 23^rd December.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Christmas in the Sunshine by Yasmin Joseph

This Christmas Elias is going to visit his family in the Caribbean for the first time. He gets to go to the beach, play in the sunshine, and there’ll be a big party. It’s going to be the best. But he has one worry – will it still feel like Christmas? After all, in London it’s usually really cold, he gets to decorate the Christmas tree and drinks lots of hot chocolate. He’s definitely never left a mango out for Santa before. Head to the Unicorn Theatre for this joyful, warm and festive story of celebrating Christmas and family, wherever you are.

Christmas in the Sunshine will be playing at the Unicorn Theatre from Thursday 17^th November – Saturday 31^st December.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Cinderella by Leo Butler

Each year, Theatre Royal Stratford East puts on a panto that tears up the rulebook and turns a classic story on its head to make it relevant to their local community and beyond. Get ready to experience Stratford East’s unique twist on this classic tale, set in the ancient home of Sphynx cats, pharaohs and empress Cleopatra. This year’s panto will feature all the right ingredients. You can expect our much-loved mix of show-stopping original music and laugh-out-loud comedy, alongside magical sets and costumes in this perfect festive treat for all ages.

Cinderella will be playing at Theatre Royal Stratford East from Saturday 19^th November-Saturday 7^th January.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Hex by Tanya Ronder

Deep in the wood, a lonely fairy longs for someone to bless. When she is summoned to the palace to help the princess sleep, her dream turns into a nightmare and her blessing becomes a curse. Soon, she is plunged into a frantic, hundred-year quest to somehow make everything right. Starring Michael Elcock, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, Kalisha Johnson and Kody Mortimer.

Hex will be playing at the National Theatre until Saturday 14^th January.

Book tickets and find out more here.

The Further Adventures of Peter Pan – The Return of Captain Hook

After defeating the evil Captain Hook and his crew of prancing pirates, life has been pretty perfect for Peter Pan. But when a stranger arrives in Neverland, he is forced to question his past and face his future. Will Peter ever grow up? And then there are the rumours … That a certain someone survived the stormy seas and is seeking revenge! Have you heard them too? People are saying … that Hook is back! So watch out … he might be behind you! Starring Gemma Hunt as Tinker Bell.

The Further Adventures of Peter Pan – The Return of Captain Hook will be playing at Fairfield Halls from Saturday 10th-Saturday 31st December.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Royal Court One Night Stands

A series of one-off performances from some familiar faces. Just for fun. Mutually fulfilling. No strings attached. Highlights include One Night Stand with… Inua Ellams, who brings Search Party, his chaotic audience-led poetry event, to the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs. Make sure to also catch One Night Stand with… Yomi Ṣode, who will explore his First Five, read from his debut poetry collection Manorism and invite audiences on stage to share their own First Fives. And finally, join One Night Stand with… Jade Anouka and Grace Savage for a night of queer Joy as they take you on a musical and lyrical journey through heartbreak and love; an experimental mash-up of ideas and songs told through poetry and beatboxing. 

One Night Stand with… Inua Ellams plays on Thursday 8^th December. One Night Stand with… Yomi Ṣode plays on Saturday 10^th December. One Night Stand with… Jade Anouka and Grace Savage plays on Friday 16^th December.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Little Red Robin Hood

DISASTER! The wicked Sheriff of Nottingham has captured the famous outlaw Robin Hood! Who is going to stand up for the people now? Surely not a tiny girl in a red riding hood? Sometimes the true hero is the person you least expect, as Red Riding Hood heads into the forest to defeat the Sheriff, find her Grandma and discover her destiny. Featuring a brand new superstar cast and a host of exciting surprises, the team at Battersea Arts Centre aim to put an arrow in your bow, a song in your heart and a smile on your face – it’s an unmissable Christmas treat for all the family!

Little Red Robin Hood plays at Battersea Arts Centre from Tuesday 6^th December – Sunday 8^th January.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Only two months left of 2022, and there are some big shows opening!

This month sees the opening of a new production of Othello directed by Clint Dyer and starring Giles Terera at the National Theatre, as well as a new Mandela musical over at the Young Vic. Other shows to look out for include 2022’s Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award HighRise Entertainment’s The UK Drill Project at the Barbican Centre.

Make sure you book your tickets before they sell out!

Othello by William Shakespeare

A bright, headstrong daughter of a senator; elevated by her status but stifled by its expectations. A refugee of slavery; having risen to the top of a white world, he finds that love across racial lines has a cost. Wed in secret, Desdemona and Othello crave a new life together. But as unseen forces conspire against them, they find their future is not theirs to decide. Clint Dyer directs an extraordinary new vision for one of Shakespeare’s most enduring tragedies, with Giles Terera playing Othello.

Othello plays at the National Theatre from Wednesday 23^rd November-Saturday 21^st January.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Best of Enemies by James Graham

1968 – a year of protest that divided America. As two men fight to become the next President, all eyes are on the battle between two others: the cunningly conservative William F. Buckley Jr., and the iconoclastic liberal Gore Vidal. Beliefs are challenged and slurs slung as these political idols feud nightly in a new television format, debating the moral landscape of a shattered nation. Little do they know they’re about to open up a new frontier in American politics and transform television news forever… The sold-out, critically acclaimed and multiple award-winning hit, Best of Enemies transfers to the West End this November. Zachary Quinto makes his London stage debut playing left-wing icon Gore Vidal, with David Harewood reprising his role as the right-wing figurehead William F. Buckley Jr.

Best of Enemies plays at the Noël Coward Theatre from Monday 14^th November-Saturday 18^th February.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Mandela by Laiona Michelle, Greg Dean Borowsky and Shaun Borowsky

It’s 1960. Young activist, Nelson Mandela, rallies the people of South Africa to protest against the racial segregation of apartheid. In 1962 he is arrested and sentenced to life in prison, where he will spend the next 27 years, taken from his wife and children, as the fight for freedom sweeps his country. Infused with the rhythms of South Africa, this soaring new musical tells the extraordinary story of a man who changed the course of modern history – the sacrifices he made as a husband and father, and the global movement that inspired him and his comrades to keep fighting. The production is presented in proud partnership with Nandi Mandela, Luvuyo Madasa and the Mandela family.

Mandela plays at the Young Vic from Tuesday 29^th November-Saturday 4^th February.

Book tickets and find out more here.

The Wedding Speech by Purple Moon Drama

Rosemary is about to do a speech at her mother’s wedding. She’s not quite sure how to hit the right note as the relationship between Rosemary and her mother has been… less than rosy. The Wedding Speech is a piece that speaks to the impact of the primary relationship on an individual, and the blind spots it can create in a seemingly self-aware person. A co-dependent parental bond can become normalised and it can take years to unpick and heal from. 

The Wedding Speech plays at Camden People’s Theatre from Tuesday 15^th-Saturday 19^th November.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Zombiegate by Matthew Gabrielli

Sophie and Jamie have just been cancelled, a misplaced selfie has gone viral, and the pair have been accused of mocking a dead child. But their troubles are only just beginning. As the real and digital worlds collide, their lives and friendship are ripped apart by algorithms, online mobs and an obsessive troll called Mr Punch. Zombiegate is a witty and empathetic debut play that gets behind the headlines and hashtags of internet trolls, scrutinising mob mentality and myths around cancel culture, and asks us to empathise with the people we find it hard to agree with.

Zombiegate plays at Theatre503 from Monday 7^th-Saturday 19^th November.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Flat Shoes in the Club? by Eme Essien

It’s Saturday night, the BIG girl’s night out and THIS girl is just trying to get ready on time. Enter her bedroom and delve into her world as she figures out what to wear, how to do her hair and exactly what to do when she gets there. Uncensored, dishevelled and sincere, Flat Shoes in the Club? is an honest look at the ever-changing expectations of societal standards, told through the voice of a young Black woman trying to navigate her world and stand out in many different spaces. With playfulness and humour, the show explores her world of image, relationships, and career aspirations as she constantly strives to reinvent herself and perform the best version of herself.

Flat Shoes in the Club? plays at Theatre503 on Friday 25^th November.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Things I can Laugh About Now by Shakira Newton

In this coming-of-age, uplifting story of self-discovery and hope, we get an insight into what it means to grow up differently to the world immediately around you, and how that can skew your idea of home, friendship and most importantly, love. Is humour a good healthy coping mechanism for deteriorating mental health? Maybe not. But hey, at least she’s finally talking about it with someone! Things I Can Laugh About Now is a tragicomedy that contains themes of domestic abuse, suicide, and mental illness, and has strong language from the offset… but like most things in life, we’ll learn to laugh that all off.

Things I can Laugh About Now plays at Brixton House from Tuesday 1^st-Friday 11^th November.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Without Planning Permission! by The Black Men’s Consortium

The Black Men’s Consortium is a community-led exploration arts project in which Black men of African Descent meet to experience positive and meaningful interactions and discuss issues that matter to them. Without Planning Permission!, the group’s first staged production, explores themes that Black Men feel they have to deal with and be accountable for when it comes to protecting their communities. Set on the Mary Warner Estate during an emergency community meeting to discuss the changes that have affected the residents that live on the estate, Without Planning Permission! uses film, debates, and improvisation to understand how Black Men feel and the pressures that Black Men are under in this society.

Without Planning Permission! plays at Brixton House from Friday 11^th-Saturday 12^th November.

Book tickets and find out more here.

HighRise Entertainment: The UK Drill Project

Challenging myths about UK Drill music and its links to youth violence, this radically honest and direct show takes real-life experiences to explore the truths behind the headlines Developed through conversation with artists on the scene, the show explores the perceived relationship between musicality and criminality. With the criminal justice system putting this music on trial and the ensuing moral panic in the media, can we as a society really blame an art form for a spike in violence?

The UK Drill Project plays at the Barbican Centre from Thursday 3^rd-Saturday 12^th November.

Book tickets and find out more here.

The Frontline by Ché Walker

Another Saturday night on the streets of Peckham. How do you get ahead when you’re held back by historic bias, prejudice, and human weakness? It’s time to consider the lives of the people we choose to ignore. This urgent, state-of-the-nation, production will be performed by Theatre Peckham’s REP Company with direction from Suzann McLean.

The Frontline plays at Theatre Peckham from Thursday 10th-Saturday 12th November.

Book tickets and find out more here.

This Autumn, Benoit Swan Pouffer will be directing and choreographing Rambert’s first ever branded production, Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby.

Born and raised in Paris, Benoit Swan Pouffer studied as a dancer at the prestigious Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse before moving to New York and working as a principal dancer for the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for seven years. After spending a decade as Artistic Director of the Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet company, in 2018 Pouffer became Artistic Director of Rambert.

Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby was written and adapted for the stage by Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight, the show picks up the story of the Peaky Blinders at the end of World War One, following Tommy Shelby and Grace Burgess through their passionate love affair. Fans of Peaky Blinders will be treated to exclusive plot and character insights that don’t appear on screen, but were in Steven Knight’s mind as he was creating the TV show.

We spoke to Benoit to find out more about what audiences can expect from the show…

Please tell us who you are and what you do, and where you’re from [heritage / area]

I’m a choreographer and the Artistic Director of Rambert. My job lets me create, and support others to create, by commissioning daring artists and finding brilliant dancers from around the world. I was born in Paris; my mother is French and my father is from Martinique – but most of my life was spent in New York City.

Describe your life right now in a word or one sentence …

Chaos – in the best way!

So, as a dancer, you trained in Paris, then worked as principal dancer for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York, and now you’re based in London as Artistic Director of Rambert. What’s it been like working as a dancer across these three cities – are there any major differences in the dance landscapes in each city?

Each of those cities shaped me, and it’s hard to compare my experiences when I was at a totally different age and stage of life in each of them. They’re such exciting places that gave me so much opportunity. Going from Paris to New York meant I was able to learn English, and to be a part of my own American Dream that I don’t think I would have found anywhere else. Coming to London was something new again – change is hard but after a few decades in New York City I wanted to be closer to Paris and my family.

As for the dance landscape, this is one of the best parts. Paris was my foundation, New York was where I blossomed and was introduced to so much new work, and now I’m in London leading the oldest dance company in the UK here at Rambert, where I can share my past and to help lead them into the future.

What’s the journey from dancer to choreographer to Artistic Director been like? Was this a career trajectory that you planned or that came to you unexpectedly?

I’ve always felt these were quite similar roles, and so the journey has been very intrinsic. I was choreographing shows for my grandparents when I was 4 years old before I trained as a professional. Then dancing with a major company, I was able to cement everything I learned from school and grow from that foundation. I still choreographed with my friends both at school and in the company and never lost that drive to create. Being an Artistic Director is a bit different though, it’s not something you can study for. I think it’s about finding a vision and having opinions – and if you know me, you’ll know I’ve always had opinions, now I just get paid to have them!

How would you describe Rambert’s work to people unfamiliar with the company?

Rambert creates brilliant and daring work for everyone. It’s unexpected, but at the same time it’s not alienating. I’ve always believed that good work is good work, it doesn’t matter where it comes from or who it comes from.

This Autumn sees Rambert premiering their first ever branded production, Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby, which represents the company’s aim to bring contemporary dance to a broader and younger audience. Is broadening the audience for contemporary dance part of the legacy you want to leave as Artistic Director of Rambert? Are there any other legacies you’d like to leave with Rambert?

Yes. There are people out there that are intimidated by dance. Everyone dances, it’s part of being human. It’s part of my mission to find new audiences and to create work that can reach more people. I’m hoping Rambert, and our company of dancers, will continue to be the flagship dance company of the UK by being inclusive of everyone.

So, let’s talk more about Peaky Blinders. How did the idea of staging this BBC crime drama as a contemporary dance performance come about? Were you a particular fan of the TV series?

I had dipped into the series, but it wasn’t until we started talking about the possibilities of an adaption that I got hooked. We’d been introduced to the shows creator Steven Knight whilst involved with the Legitimate Peaky Blinders Festival, and then our appearance in the series really cemented things for us.

What’s it been like working with Steven Knight to put the show together? And does the collaboration with Knight mean that the show features a combination of dance and dialogue?

From the first conversations he offered so much collaboration and energy, which helped craft the narrative and where the show is today. He gave me insight into the characters that was invaluable, he wrote a script that the iconic Benjamin Zephaniah recorded for us and looms as a narration over the show. I think it’s a perfect combination of movement and spoken word and is really unique.

Was it difficult to marry a story of violent gangster crime with contemporary dance, a dance style that is often seen to be softer and more emotional?

Rambert is about challenging expectations, like the notion that dance must be soft or gendered. Peaky Blinders is very emotional and has many moments of combining ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ moments. I’m not the first to have imagined violence on stage through dance, fight choreography is still choreography, but we view it through a different lens.

Controversial subject matter has always been fuel for art, and that too is down to the artist to create a lens for the audience. Have you got any other projects on the horizon that you’re excited about?

I’m excited about a lot of projects – Rambert has a lot planned that we started curating before we even started Peaky Blinders that we can’t wait to share. It will be unexpected and exciting.

What’s made you Sad, Mad, Glad this week?

I’ve had all these feelings, when we opened Peaky Blinders! But mostly glad at how well the show has been received.

What are you reading right now?

The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov (again!)

What are you listening to right now?

Juliette Armanet, Bjork’s latest album Fossora and Jamiroquai’s Emergency on Planet Earth

The last thing you saw on stage?

Cabaret – it was sensational.

What’s on your bucket list?

Creating more shows – I’m already thinking about the next one.

Celebrate someone else (who do you rate right now?) …

Roman GianArthur. He composed the soundtrack for Peaky Blinders, and I’ve completely fallen for him artistically. Everything he did is right for the show, every choice he made was perfect. He’s an incredible artist and one of the best collaborators I’ve ever had.

Celebrate yourself … (make us proud of you) …

I’m proud of the show – especially of the team. I know you’re asking about me, but theatre doesn’t exist with one persona, and I want to celebrate us all. I is singular, and I’m bored if I’m by myself – other people make it worth it.

Where can we find you watch your project?

Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby, is currently running at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre until 6 November, then we head on a UK tour in 2023!

For tickets and more information visit Peaky Blinders.

Theatre highlights this October include tiata fahodzi’s triple bill Talking About a Revolution at the Lyric Theatre.

If you want to catch some live dance, make sure to check out Dickson Mbi’s Enowata at Sadler’s Wells, Cherish Menzo’s Jezebel at the Battersea Arts Centre or the Change Tempo triple bill at Brixton House Theatre.

Talking About a Revolution by Diana Nneka Atuona, babirye bukilwa and Malaika Kegode

British African heritage contemporary theatre company tiata fahodzi presents a triple bill of short plays and world premieres by Diana Nneka Atuona, babirye bukilwa and Malaika Kegode. Two Black lesbians kidnap Black celebrity mogul Kevin West. A trans woman refuses to leave the women’s changing room. And an Incel’s cousin takes to Instagram Live. Three exciting voices in British theatre respond to the moment we find ourselves in with their own versions of revolution – unvarnished, honest and raw.

Talking About a Revolution plays at the Lyric from Wednesday 12th October-Saturday 15^th October

Book tickets and find out more here.

Elephant by Anoushka Lucas

A piano came through the sky and landed in Lylah’s council flat, just for her. As she pours over the keys and sound floods into all the rooms, Lylah falls in love. At school, Lylah can’t ask questions – she’s got to be good, good, good or else she’ll lose her scholarship. At home she can’t ask questions; her cousins say she talks weird, and her parents are distracted. 

So she asks her piano: Where did you come from? Why are you here? And their shared history tumbles into the light. Part gig, part piano lesson, part journey through Empire – Elephant is a new Bush commission thatfirst appeared as part of the Bush’s Protest series, a response to the murder of George Floyd.

Elephant plays at the Bush Theatre from Monday 24^th October-Saturday 12^th November.

Book tickets and find out more here.

King Hamlin by Gloria Williams

After his dad dies, Hamlin’s goal is to finish school, get a good job, and build a better life for himself and his mum, Mama H. When live-wire Quinn and troubled Nic offer Hamlin easy money in return for some county line drug trafficking, his dreams, his mother’s hopes and the friendship of the three are put to the test. Will Hamlin stand his ground or end up on the wrong side of the tracks?   

King Hamlin plays at the Park Theatre from Wednesday 19^th October-Saturday 12^th November.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Yellowman by Dael Orlandersmith

Alma and Gene have grown up together. She dreams of a life beyond the confines of their small town. But when their friendship develops into something more serious, Gene’s fate becomes tragically intertwined with hers and they can’t escape the legacy of racism and the tensions within their own community.

Yellowman streams on demand from Tuesday 11^th October-Friday 14^th October.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Grandad Anansi by Elayne Ogbeta

Abi and her Grandad tell each other Anansi folktales. They play games as they work together in the garden among the beautiful flowers and tasty vegetables. As they plant memories, they share secrets and develop a bond that nothing can break. Grandad is as smart and mischievous as the wily Anansi legend. Can he find a way to tell his granddaughter about his plans to return to Jamaica, his beloved homeland? Join our intrepid characters in this humorous and heartfelt intergenerational adventure, as they step into the unexpected. With evocative live music, Grandad Anansi is an uplifting tale of love, courage and letting go.

Grandad Anansi plays at the Lyric Hammersmith from Tuesday 25^th October-Saturday 29^th October.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Enowate by Dickson Mbi

Inspired by a life-changing journey to his ancestral home in Cameroon, in Enowate Dickson Mbi explores how the animistic practices of his African heritage meet his upbringing in London’s East End. Enowate, meaning ‘truth stands’, draws on sinuous elements of hip-hop and contemporary dance in combination with original music and otherworldly animated projections. In asking the relatable question, ‘who am I?’, he connects with enigmatic forces to reveal himself and emerge from the shadows.

Enowate plays at Sadler’s Wells Theatre from Friday 14^th October-Saturday 15^th October.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Hyde & Seek by Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu

Set in and around the Azazel Housing Estate in London in the not too distant future, Hyde & Seek is a radical re-imagining of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel Jekyll and Hyde, exploring tensions that exist within our idea of selfhood. This gripping new thriller, told with dynamic lyricism, takes us on a journey through the dualities of light and dark that exist within us all.

Hyde & Seek plays at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama from Monday 24^th October-Saturday 29^th October.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Jezebel by Cherish Menzo

Jezebel is a dance performance inspired by female models who appeared in late 90s hip hop music videos. Images in the mass media often projected females in a hyper-sensualized way, reinforcing stereotypes associated with black / dark / coloured women. Join Jezebel as she navigates the landscape of hip hop culture, searching for ways to reclaim her own image.

Jezebel plays at Battersea Arts Centre from Thursday 6^th October-Friday 14^th October.

Book tickets and find out more here.

I Wonder If devised by the Company

Two people meet. The rest is infinite. She’s moving to Birmingham and he’s from London. They end up at the same party. We think we know how this story ends. But what happens next in this story will be shaped by the choices they make in each moment. As their growing friendship is steered by the changing beat of the drum, they’ll wrestle with which version of themselves they choose to be and the possible futures they could share. 

I Wonder If plays at the Young Vic from Monday 24th October-Saturday 29^th October.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Change Tempo by Luiz de Abreu, Joy Alpuerto Ritter and Linda Hayford

Dance Umbrella is thrilled to bring three international artists to Brixton House for a mixed bill exploring themes of transformation, transmission and representation. In the radical solo work, O Samba do Crioulo Doido, choreography is passed from one Black body to another as Luiz de Abreu and Calixto Neto use dance as a means of deconstructing racialised identities. In BABAE, Joy Alpuerto Ritter combines inherited vocabularies rooted in Philippine folk dance, classical, hip hop and vogue. And, in Shapeshifting, Linda Hayford uses popping to communicate her state of mind – her evocative style conjures an otherworldly existence as she passes from one form to another.

Change Tempo plays at Brixton House Theatre from Wednesday 12^th October-Thursday 13^th October.

Book tickets and find out more here.

After graduating from Mountview’s MA Theatre Directing course in 2017, Denzel Westley-Sanderson’s career has gone from strength to strength.

Starting out as part of the resident directors’ pool at the Almeida Theatre, Denzel has since worked on a number of schools’ projects across London with the Donmar Warehouse, co-directed Jesus Christ Superstar: The Concert (2020) at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and associate directed two productions at the National Theatre – Dick Whittington (2020) and Small Island (2021).

Most recently, Denzel was awarded the Royal Theatrical Support Trust’s (RTST) Sir Peter Hall Director Award. As a result of this, he will be directing a production of The Importance of Being Earnest which will be staged at Leeds Playhouse in September this year, before touring across the nation with the English Touring Theatre.

We spoke to Denzel to find out more about his journey into directing and what audiences can expect from The Importance of Being Earnest …

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Denzel Westley-Sanderson and I am of mixed heritage: Trini, Jamaican and English. I am a theatre director.

Please share a word or sentence which best describes your life right now.

Progression

The role of a director is not one that you necessarily know about when first watching theatre. How did you find out about directing, and at what point did you decide to make directing your career?

It was at Coventry university that I first discovered directing. I was doing my undergraduate degree for theatre and professional practice, which involved a lot of self-lead devising work and started to realise that I enjoyed creating the work more than performing it. From there I directed my first show (The Chairs by Eugene Ionesco) and knew I wanted to build a career in directing.

You’ve worked across a range of genres – new writing, musicals, opera, devising, dance theatre … Do you find that working across genres allows you to challenge boundaries at all – for example, using what you’ve learnt from devising when directing new writing? Do you have a favourite genre of theatre to direct?

Yes, it allows me to be bolder with my decisions and mix genres together. For example, in Earnest, I’ve taken elements and inspiration from musicals, such as an overture, and used that to add another layer and style to the opening sequence. I don’t think we should be restricted by the disciplines. I wouldn’t say I have a favourite genre, although I do have a soft spot for plays! I love how you can really get lost in the text and dialogue.

So, this May you won the RTST’s Sir Peter Hall Director Award – congratulations! What does winning this award mean to you?

Thank you! It’s such a great stepping stone and has allowed me to transition to larger-scale work, and has given me a platform to be heard as an artist within the industry.

The Sir Peter Hall Director Award gives you the opportunity to stage a play at Leeds Playhouse which will subsequently go on a national tour with the English Touring Theatre. You’re based in London – do you find it different at all directing productions for regional theatres?

It’s something I am conscious of; however, I always try to make work to the best standard no matter where that work is going. With any show, I really try to think about the different types of audiences that will watch, and how I can make them feel represented.

Specifically, you have decided to use the Sir Peter Hall Director Award to direct a production of The Importance of Being Earnest. This play was first performed in 1895 and written by Oscar Wilde. What made you want to direct this play? Are there any particular elements or themes in the play that excite you?

Earnest was a real challenge, which is what initially excited me about it. The text is very dense and layered, with many hidden meanings, allowing me to explore themes such as sexuality, gender, class, and race. It was a joy to bring out these themes in different areas of the production; from casting (gender swapping Dr Chasuble) to using the theme of Race to explore black joy within the piece.

In some ways, The Importance of Being Earnest can be understood to be “quintessentially English” – which perhaps makes it particularly well-suited to a tour with the English Touring Theatre. What does “being English” mean to you? And are you reinterpreting the “quintessentially English” nature of the play in your directorial choices at all?

To me, being English is a part of my family history, my grandfather on my mother’s side fought in the war and I’ve spent my whole life here. Yes, I am reinterpreting what “quintessentially English” means by looking at the play through the lens of black Victorians. It’s a forgotten part of British history, and it’s been a joy to explore and uncover the lives of these forgotten people and highlight all the beautiful people of colour who were living and working in Victorian Britain.

You only graduated from Mountview in 2017, but are already making waves in the theatre industry. What advice would you give to new directors starting out?

Everybody’s path is different but believe in your creativity and challenge yourself and your ideas. Do not be afraid to make mistakes and venture outside of your comfort zone.

Are there any directors whose careers have inspired you? And, on a related note, are there any milestones you’d like to achieve in your career in the future?

Everybody I’ve worked with in the industry thus far has inspired me in one way or another and helped me grow as an artist, which I am forever grateful for. In terms of milestones, I’d love to one day run a venue, but for now, I’m really focused on putting my work out there and promoting diversity in the industry, not only on the stage but also behind the scenes. I think it’s important that different voices are heard and given space.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU?

• A book you have to have in your collection? Different Every Night by Mike Alfreds
• A song / album that defines the soundtrack of your life to date? Destiny’s Child – Happy Face
• A film / TV show that you can watch/have watched repeatedly? The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
• The first stage production you saw and what it meant to you (play, dance or concert)? FAME – I’d never stepped foot in a theatre before, so it really opened my eyes and I just remember being in that space was so exciting to me
• What’s made you sad, mad, and glad this week? Sad, Mad and Glad all at the same time has been the casting for Disney’s Ariel. I’m sad and mad that people are upset over a black woman playing a mermaid, but I’m so glad she has been cast and what this does for all the little black and brown children who have a new princess.

The Importance of Being Earnest plays at Leeds Playhouse from Monday 5th-Saturday 17th September 2022, before touring the nation with the English Touring Theatre. Book tickets and find out more here.

A stark white light outlines a small, square room …

A table stands centre stage, its surface cluttered with screwdrivers, knives and a mallet – tools for the innocent purpose of DIY or the malicious intent of torture?  Watermelons are scattered across the stage. And then Mandla Rae enters, knife in hand – it’s giving Red from Us.

as british as a watermelon is Mandla Rae’s debut show for the Edinburgh International Festival – a self-assured debut announcing the arrival of a unique artistic voice. Indeed, the show itself can be understood to narrate the arrival of this artistic voice: like Audre Lorde’s biomythography Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, Mandla uses the genre of autofiction to dissect and re-assemble identity. And watermelons are the selected object through which Mandla metaphorically represents this process.

Admittedly, I was, at first, confused. As Mandla repeatedly stabbed, cracked and scooped out the flesh of watermelons, I enjoyed the sweet scent emanating into the theatre, and was drawn in by the palpable sense of threat derived from Mandla indiscriminately torturing watermelons. However, I was confused by what it all meant – what was the metaphor that I wasn’t quite grasping?

And then, halfway through the show, Mandla announced, “I killed Brigitte.” Brigitte was the birth name given to Mandla – as Mandla laughingly points out, “how colonised do you have to be to give birth to a child in Zimbabwe and call it Brigitte?” For me, this killing of Brigitte was the key: dissecting the watermelons, wringing them dry – surely this was a metaphor for the destruction of Brigitte. A destruction necessary to enable the birthing of Mandla – a name which “means power”, a name which Mandla “gave […] to myself.”

Of course, the beauty of metaphor is that meaning can be multi-layered. The meaning of the watermelons was shifting – one moment seeming to represent familial warmth, the next a painful scrub against the skin. Mandla’s interactions with the watermelon were always shifting and unpredictable, and so perfectly represented Mandla’s shifting identity, shifting memories, and shifting relationship with these memories.

Altogether, I think as british as a watermelon is a stunning example of queer storytelling, in which the idea of a conclusive linear narrative is complicated into a tapestry of memories connected by their emotional charge; in which the idea of a singular objective truth is scattered into a spectrum of truths, so that the audience is invited to navigate and create their own meaningful path through the performance. If you’re queer, if you’re a migrant, if you’ve sought asylum, if you’re Zimbabwean, different elements of the performance will amplify themselves to you. And, even if you’re none of the above, the performance is visually mesmerising – with Michael Hankin’s minimalist set design and the bright red of the watermelons in all their various states providing a visual feast.

as british as a watermelon is a unique and exciting work, and I look forward to seeing what Mandla Rae next conjures up.

as british as a watermelon played at Edinburgh International Festival from Tuesday 23^rd-Friday 26^th August. Find out more here.

The start of Autumn sees a number of revivals coming to London’s stages …

From Pearl Cleage’s Blues for an Alabama Sky to Dael Orlandersmith’s Yellowman – and don’t snooze on catching the digital release of Talawa’s Run it Back if you missed the live performance the first time round! If tickets haven’t sold out yet, you’ll also want to make sure you’re in the audience for the Black Out performance of Dipo Baruwa-Etti’s The Clinic. Read on for more September recommendations…

Blues for an Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage

New York, 1930. Following a decade of creative explosion, the Harlem Renaissance is starting to feel the bite of the Great Depression. In the face of hardship and dwindling opportunity, Angel and her friends battle to keep their artistic dreams alive. But, when Angel falls for a stranger from Alabama, their romance forces the group to make good on their ambitions, or give in to the reality of the time. Lynette Linton directs a startling revival of this extraordinary play starring Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale, Orange Is the New Black), Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo (Three Sisters), Osy Ikhile (Sweat), Sule Rimi (Barber Shop Chronicles) and Giles Terera (Death of England: Face to Face).

Blues for an Alabama Sky plays at the National Theatre from Tuesday 20^th September to Saturday 5th November.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Hot in Here (an energy-generating dance party) by Pigfoot Theatre

Developed from conversations with climate activists across the globe, Hot in Here uses dance, real-life stories, spoken word, and music to share the action taking place internationally against climate injustice, and the UK’s place within it. The show is powered by the first energy-harvesting dancefloor in live theatre. Like the collective action needed to tackle the climate emergency, the dancefloor converts the collective energy of the performers’ bodies into electricity. Come join the movement. Everyone’s invited. Made in collaboration with young people taking action at the frontlines of the climate crisis, predominantly in the Global South and nearest the Equator.

Hot in Here plays at Camden People’s Theatre on Sunday 25^th-Monday 26^th September and Tuesday 4^th-Thursday 6^th October.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Run it Back (On Demand) by Coral Messam, Gail Babb and TYPT:18

Set on an explosive club night, Run It Back immerses the audience in Black British club culture with dance, physical theatre and a live set from DJ and turntablist Psykhomantus. A disused warehouse. A party rages. Distorted bass pulses through the streets, calling the ravers in. Lost in the music and dripping with sweat, they surrender to the DJ’s game. 

Run It Back returns as a nationwide UK digital release with Vimeo from 12th – 30th September 2022. 

Book your free ticket for a theatre experience powered by grime, dancehall and afrobeat here.

The Wonderful World of Dissocia by Anthony Neilson

In search of a lost hour that has tipped the balance of her life, Lisa Jones is on a quest through a surreal world, filled with insecurity guards, flying cars, singing polar bears and wild-goose chases. The inhabitants of Dissocia are a curious blend of the funny, the friendly and the downright brutal. Starring Leah Harvey, Dominique Hamilton and Tomi Ogbaro, Anthony Neilson’s cult play is a poignant and comical delve into the nature of mental illness. 

The Wonderful World of Dissocia plays at Theatre Royal Stratford East from Friday 16^th September-Saturday 15^th October.

Book tickets and find out more here.

The Cocoa Butter Club as part of Rich Mix’s Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest

Fringe!, East London’s volunteer-run community festival, returns to take over Rich Mix this September with a week-long celebration of LGBTIQA+ culture.  On Saturday 24^th September, catch The Cocoa Butter Club, who are here to moisturise a dry and dusty performance scene by showcasing Queer performers of colour! A high-octane cabaret/ party/ celebration boasting Burlesque, Drag, Spoken Word, Circus and so much more. It’s enough to have you screaming “yuss queen, smells like cocoa butter up in hurrrrrr”!

The Cocoa Butter Club will be performing at Rich Mix on Saturday 24^th September.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Yellowman by Dael Orlandersmith

Alma and Gene have grown up together. She dreams of a life beyond the confines of their small town. But when their friendship develops into something more serious, Gene’s fate becomes tragically intertwined with hers and they can’t escape the legacy of racism and the tensions within their own community. Twenty years after it premiered and received a Pulitzer Prize nomination, Dael Orlandersmith’s Yellowman, set in the 1960s Deep South, is a moving and deeply pertinent play for now.

Yellowman plays at the Orange Tree Theatre from Monday 5^th September-Saturday 8^th October.

Book tickets and find out more here.

The Clinic by Dipo Baruwa-Etti

Wunmi is tired of the fight. When her world collapses, she turns to Ore for help. Ore resolves to save Wunmi, providing sanctuary in her parents’ home – a family ​of charity workers, therapists and politicians, dedicated to serving their community. Wunmi’s presence soon disrupts familiar patterns – cracks start to widen and bad blood thickens. As these pillars of society crumble, Wunmi wonders whether she’s walked into a refuge or ​a trap?

The Clinic plays at the Almeida Theatre from Saturday 3^rd September-Saturday 1^st October, with a Black Out performance – in which all the tickets are reserved for Black audience members – on Monday 19^th September.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Black Joy 

Programmed alongside Dipo Baruwa-Etti’s The Clinic, Black Joy is a scratch event designed to celebrate and platform art and performance from emerging Black artists. A night of music, poetry, spoken word, and theatre, the full line-up consists of Britny Virginia, Chloe Carterr, Jahmila Heath directed by Rochelle Thomas, Jordan Aaron, Josephine Lacey, Mohamed Manso Bangura, OURRA, Poet RS, Rianna Simons, Roberta Livingston directed by Kwame Owusu, Stephanie Stevens directed by Xanthus, Tumi Salu and Warren Mendy.

Black Joy plays at the Almeida Theatre on Sunday 18^th September.

Book tickets and find out more here.

THIRST TRAP by Ray Young

Part narrative and part meditation, THIRST TRAP is a 30-minute sound piece for you to listen to in the bath, along with an experience pack of resources to change your environment, available within London. THIRST TRAP delves into the possible outcomes of rising temperatures and the correlation between social and climate justice. A sister piece to the swimming pool performance experience Bodies, THIRST TRAP continues Ray Young’s investigation into water as a key character in our collective conversations on climate justice.

THIRST TRAP is available to stream from Wednesday 7^th September-Friday 7^th October.

Book tickets and find out more here.

Saturn Returns: Online by Sonny Nwachukwu

Written and directed by Sonny Nwachukwu, Saturn Returns delves into an astral projection reality where the characters of Ada and Obi take on forms of past, present and future lives. Saturn Returns wraps modern psychological issues of being trapped in repeating self-destructive patterns within the spiritually affirming circularity of rebirth along family lineage that is a feature of Igbo mythology. Through music, spoken word and dance, Saturn Returns contrasts Christian notions of redemption through suffering, with mystical notions of escaping the mortal realm through astral projection.

Saturn Returns: Online plays at the Southbank Centre from Monday 12^th-Sunday 18^th September.

Book tickets and find out more here.

The Jamie Lloyd Company’s production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull stars an amazing cast …

Loved for her roles playing Sally Reid in London’s Burning and Rachel Barker in Holby Blue, over the course of her career, Sara Powell has played many iconic parts – not least Mary Seacole in the recent series of Doctor Who. Alongside working in TV, Powell has also starred in multiple stage roles across the National Theatre, Almeida, Donmar Warehouse and more.

This summer, Powell stars alongside Emilia Clarke and Indira Varma in a new version of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull, written by Anya Reiss and directed by Jamie Lloyd. We spoke to Sara to find out more about her role-playing the part of Polina…

Please introduce yourself …

Sara Powell. Jamaican abroad. I wave my hands about in the evenings. 

Please share a word or sentence which best describes your life right now.

Dinner’s in the oven.  Eat it together at the table – not in front of the TV.  Has anyone fed the dog?

So, you were born in Jamaica, but have been working across English theatres and TV shows since the early ‘90s – can you tell us a bit about this journey? For example, at what age did you know you wanted to be an actress?

My brother and I used to make up shows and force my father and any guests he brought home to
watch them. My brother grew out of it. I didn’t. 

Looking back at your career so far, are there any roles or projects that stand out as particular high points? I know my particular favourite was seeing you play Mary Seacole in Doctor Who.

 I loved playing Mary Seacole.  

In recent years, you’ve also started voice-acting in video games. How does this work compare to your theatre and TV acting? And do you ever play the video games you voice-act for?

Voicing video games is great – you rock up looking like an old sack and people encourage you to do silly voices all day.  I don’t play video games – my son thinks my job means I should get free copies of the ones I voice so he can play them. We’re working on it. 

Okay, so let’s talk about The Seagull. You’re playing the part of Polina in a new version of this play, written by Anya Reiss. Can you give a taster of how Reiss’ adaptation differs from Chekhov’s original play?

Anya’s version is radically different to any Chekov you will have seen before.  It is witty and moving. Audiences are really engaged and loving it.  

And tell us a bit about your character Polina. Who is she? Do you see any similarities between yourself and Polina?

I loved the version of Polina that Anya has written as soon as I read it. Slightly outside, trying and failing to find a way to be happy. Someone recognised me at a festival the other day because I was wearing sandals. We are all barefoot in the play. She recognised my feet. Literally, pointed at my feet and said “I recognised you from …”  So we have that in common. Still processing that one.

The Seagull opened at the Harold Pinter Theatre on June 29th – what’s it been like returning to the stage after the pandemic-induced period of closure?

The pandemic was brutal for our industry. It’s great to be back. Really, really great. 

And what’s it been like working with The Jamie Lloyd Company and such a fantastic cast? Is there anything you’ve learned while working on this production that you’ll embed into your craft going forward?

I’ve wanted to work with Jamie for a while. Who hasn’t?  So I’m feeling very lucky and hoping he’ll ask me again.  

Have you got any other projects on the horizon that you’re excited about?

Eating dinner at home.  At the table. 

GETTING TO KNOW YOU …

• A book you have to have in your collection? What Mothers Do, Especially When It Looks Like Nothing. By Naomi Stadlen. 
• A song / album that defines the soundtrack of your life to date? The mix tape my husband made me when we first met. He really needs to update that. 
• A film / TV show that you can watch/have watched repeatedly? Atlanta – Donald Glover in anything will do. I watch the video for “This Is America” quite regularly.
• The first stage production you saw and what it meant to you (play, dance or concert)? Bubbling Brown Sugar.    
• What’s made you sad, mad, and glad this week? Emilia made me a birthday cake.  We ate loads in the interval in Indira’s dressing room then all sat stuffed on stage for the second half. Sad, mad and glad.

The Seagull plays at the Harold Pinter Theatre until Saturday 10th September. Book tickets and find out more here.

Britain has a booming history of ceramics.

In particular, across two gallery spaces on its first floor, the York Art Gallery celebrates the British studio ceramics movement, which began in the early 20^th century and continues to influence ceramicists today.

A less well-documented area of British ceramics history, and ceramics history in general, is, however, the contribution made by Black women ceramicists. That’s where York Gallery’s new Body Vessel Clay exhibition steps in.

Conceived and curated by Dr Jareh Das, the exhibition opens with a collection of Nigerian potter Ladi Kwali’s work. Exhibition information narrates the story of how Ladi Kwali was born in the village of Kwali, where, at a young age, she learnt pottery from her aunt using traditional hand-building methods of coiling and pinching. After seeing her work displayed in the palace of the Emir (king) of Abuja, British studio potter Michael Cardew invited Ladi Kwali to join his recently established Pottery Training Centre Abuja as the first female trainee. It was here that Ladi Kwali learnt Western throwing, glazing and the use of ‘slips’. 

While the exhibition repeatedly praises Ladi Kwali’s development of a new ‘hybrid’ ceramic form, in which hand-built Gwari traditions are fused with European studio pottery techniques, it also – perhaps for the first time – problematises Michael Cardew’s project. Alongside archival documents about the tours Michael Cardew arranged to historically Black American colleges and universities, in which Ladi Kwali would demonstrate how to hand-build pots, an inscription points out that Cardew’s intention for these demonstrations to ‘help connect African-American students to their roots’ might today ‘be viewed as problematic’. This is because Cardew might be seen as ‘a white male authority figure assuming the position of validating an indigenous Nigerian women’s craft.’

Indeed, this tension between pottery as a tradition rooted in a lineage of Black women versus being a craft taught by European institutions becomes the central theme of the exhibition. The influence of European institutions can, for example, be seen in Halima Audu’s Lidded Bottle, which features Cardew’s innovation of the screw-top lid. In contrast, Magdalene Odundo’s iconic asymmetrical, vase-like sculptural forms centre Gwari’s hand-building techniques and favour hand-burnishing and slip clay overglazing.

It is in the work presented by the final ceramicists in the exhibition – Bisila Noha, Phoebe Collings-James, Shawanda Corbett, Chinasa Vivian Ezugha, Jade Montserrat and Julia Phillips – that the tension between Black female ceramic traditions and European traditions really begins to be reconciled. Noha’s work is the perfect symbol for this reconciliation – through a combination of hand-building, throwing and sculpting, she creates distinctive two-legged vessels that reflect ‘combining to birth something new.’

The ’something new’ that is birthed through the work of Collings-James, Corbett, Vivian Ezugha, Montserrat and Phillips is postcolonialism in action: the ceramicists acknowledge the colonial past of pottery, reclaim the erased history of Black women’s relationship with pottery, and imagine alternative futures for ceramics in which Black women are centred. In this future, the lines between the Black female body and ceramics blur – whether it be Phillips, Montserrat and Vivian Ezugha’s intimate connection with clay in their performance art, Collings-James’ ceramic torsos, or Corbett’s vessels serving as stand-ins for people.

Body Vessel Clay is revolutionary in its centring on a lineage of Black female ceramicists within the story of British ceramics. On a purely aesthetic level, the pottery contained in the exhibition is a visual feast – I particularly enjoyed the distinctive hand-burnishing on Odundo’s sculptures and the marbling on those of Noha. The real triumph of the exhibition is, however, the way in which Dr Jareh Das’ curation entirely unites the “body”, “vessel” and “clay” of the exhibition’s title – it is clear that clay should not be overlooked as a particularly prescient and versatile medium through which to explore Black womanhood past, present and future.

The Body Vessel Clay: Black Women, Ceramics & Contemporary Art exhibition will be at York Art Gallery until Sunday 18^th September 2022. You can attend drop-in non-artist-led workshops in conversation with the exhibition between 11am-4pm on Saturday 20^th and Saturday 27^th August. Find out more here.