The theatre company has confirmed that Chinonyerem Odimba is joining the team as the new Artistic Director and Chief Executive, as the company prepares for its 25th anniversary in 2022.
As one of the leading British-African contemporary theatre companies, tiata fahodzi has confirmed the appointment as it continues to tell contemporary stories in modern and innovative ways.
Chinonyerem Odimba is a Nigerian British playwright, screenwriter, and poet; she is Writer-in- Residence at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. During her career, she has had her work shortlisted for severalawards including the Adrienne Benham and Alfred Fagon awards as well as the Bruntwood Playwriting Award. She was the winner of the 2018 Sonia Friedman Award (Channel 4 Playwright Bursary) for How to Walk on the Moon, and a finalist for the inaugural Women Playwriting Prize
2020 for Paradise Street.
Talking about the news, Odimba said: “This is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most exciting things to happen in my career! tiata fahodzi is a company I have long admired for all the things it stands for – a home for British African heritage stories, developing and supporting artists, and a
passion for the most exciting stories that theatre can tell. I feel utterly joyous to lead a company that has been so fearless and bold since its conception in 1997, and take on this role honouring the good work that has come before.”
Her previous work includes: Medea at Bristol Old Vic, We Too, Are Giants for Kiln Theatre, Unknown Rivers at Hampstead Theatre and Prince and the Pauper at Watermill Theatre. She is currently working on commissions for Young Vic, RSC, and Paines Plough.
As a director, Chinonyerem has worked for Bristol Old Vic, Theatre503 and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She will be co-directing her new musical play Black Love for Paines Plough.
tiata fahodzi is a company that has played an important role in ensure that diversity and representation is central to any recovery plan in the
sector. This includes having been part of the letter from Black, Brown and ethnically diverse leaders to Oliver Dowden; sponsored two Black artists to be part of the Freelance Taskforce initiative; distributed 21 ‘We Got You’ no questions asked first-come first-served grants for freelancers across all
disciplines, and also published 13 commissioned blogs from Black writers.
To find out more about tiata fahodzi visit: https://tiatafahodzi.com/