Compassionate Disruption: tiata fahodzi refreshes identity and welcomes groundbreaking projects as part of new artistic and strategic vision for the company as it approaches 30 years.
A new brand, a new website, a new way of working with artists and audiences.
Earlier this month, award-winning British African heritage contemporary theatre company tiata fahodzi unveiled a new visual identity and resource-packed website as they head towards the 30th anniversary of celebrating British African heritage, both on and off stage.
With five leading strands of work, R.U.D.E (Remember U Disrupt Everything) seed commissions; Artists Village; a new look PlayLab, a key artist development programme, which will be relaunched early in 2026 following a reimagining of the programme thanks to funding from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation; ACE funded Staying Power, to promote care and community for global majority leaders; and with new partnerships such as Central School of Speech and Drama where the company becomes an Associate company from Sept 2025.
R.U.D.E seed commissions include Bristol based writer, performer and creative producer Malaika Kegode, Zimbabwean-born writer and performer mandla x and Sheffield writer, now based in London, Lettie Precious.
The Artist Village learns from audiences and artists proactively and places them as a fundamental part of the work of the theatre company – broadening the meaning of and relationship between audience/performer as more than ‘bums on seats’ and ‘actors on stage’. tiata fahodzi are committed to finding considered and effective ways to engage with diverse audiences at all levels, providing a radical invite into theatre spaces that begins online and expands into physical community settings.
Supported by Arts Council England, Staying Power is a new national initiative to promote care and community for global majority leaders. Led by Artistic Director & CEO Chinonyerem Odimba, the project is rooted in care, resilience, and sustainability for British African heritage and Global Majority (GM) leaders in the performing arts. Staying Power responds to the structural and emotional toll of recent national events, like the UK Race Riots and the ongoing pressures on Global Majority leadership.
The aim is to offer space that’s not just symbolic, but structured, paid, and genuinely responsive. The company will also have a Production Intern starting with the company in October 2025 – continuing commitment to developing the talent pathway, funded by Mo Schiewerran.
Chinonyerem Odimba, tiata fahodzi Artistic Director and CEO, commented:
“At tiata fahodzi I continue to find joy in collaborating with artists, audiences and communities that I strongly believe truly represent some of the most talented, most dedicated, and most caring in our cultural and artistic lives. tiata fahodzi as a whole company has been through of a period of reflection, growth and liberation of our collective imagination. We have imagined new ways of expressing both the joys and challenges of being a Black led theatre company in 2025 and reimagined what our collective ideas of a British African heritage/ Black British ‘artist’ are.
Certainly, what is always true as a CEO & Artistic Director, is that the work never feels done. But the future holds many fruitful promises for tiata fahodzi; the promise of making even bigger and more inventive work, securing the support to continue to exist sustainably, and the joy of seeing how the company can still surprise artists and audiences”
Claudia West, Director, Cambridge Office, Arts Council England, added:
“We are pleased to be supporting tiata fahodzi and their Staying Power initiative which aligns to our strategy Let’s Create and commitment to ensuring that the creative workforce reflects the diversity of contemporary England. We hope that the peer support provided will help leaders and freelancers to strengthen their resilience and networks.”
With a new website to help audiences easily navigate their work and new visual identity to stand out in an increasingly competitive landscape, tiata fahodzi confirm their place as a leading British African Heritage theatre company and creative leaders. Holding spaces and stages for stories of British experience by the brightest new talent, and supporting Black British audiences to see themselves and share lived experiences in London and on stages across the UK, tiata fahodzi’s new Artist Village looks to the future with compassion at its core.
NEED TO KNOW: Website | Youtube | Instagram | Twitter
