Mojisola Adebayo

A series of rapid political responses, Cutting the Tightrope: the divorce of Politics from Art brings together award-winning playwrights with radically different voices to form an urgent response to the creeping repression of the arts. 

The National Theatre has announced new productions for all three South Bank stages this summer: Alan Bleasdale’s Boys from the Blackstuff and Mnemonic in the Olivier theatre and The Grapes of Wrath in the Lyttelton theatre, alongside the previously announced The Hot Wing King in the Dorfman theatre. 

The nights are getting shorter, the swimming trunks are being packed away and you probably have bought some new pens and pencils. September is here and promises some amazing theatre to come. Check out our top ten recommendations for theatre in London this month.

A spectacular fusion of dance and architecture RESURGAM will take place on the façade of St Paul’s Cathedral, London’s best known landmark. BANDALOOP, the Californian based company known for its innovation in vertical performance, have been granted rare access to St Paul’s to create a site-responsive piece, fusing intricate mid-air choreography with rock climbing techniques and original music.

Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (GDIF) today launches its full programme, showcasing world-class theatre, art installations, spectacle and dance in locations across London. More than 35 events, including two world premieres and 14 UK premieres, are inspired by the theme Acts of Hope, inviting Londoners to come together for uplifting moments of shared wonder and connection. 

ACTORS TOURING COMPANY (ATC), the UK’s leading producer of international plays, today announce an ambitious season of work for 2023 that responds to a single artistic provocation: ‘Can we transform the painful legacies of history into a future of hope and possibility?’

The Architect is an immersive theatrical journey through time and a city conceived by Mojisola Adebayo, Roy Williams and Matthew Xia, and created with a collective of leading Black artists including Bola Agbaje, Dexter Flanders, Vanessa Macauley and XANA. 

Family Tree directed by Matthew Xia is about Henrietta Lacks; a woman who made one of the greatest medical contributions after her cells were taken from a cervical-cancer biopsy. “HeLa” cells became the first immortal human cell line to reproduce infinitely in a lab. The piece teaches us about how Lax’s cells today are still helping with polio, cancer, herpes, Covid 19, flu and continue to be widely used to advance biomedical research and medicine.

Tron Theatre will welcome Family Tree by Mojisola Adebayo on its the world premiere tour. Directed by Matthew Xia, Artistic Director of Actors Touring Company, the play tells the extraordinary legacy of Henrietta Lacks, whose influence on modern-day medicine still reverberates today, yet her story has remained hidden until now.

Tamasha and ICA have announced the cast for Mojisola Adebayo's STARS: an Afrofuturist Space Odyssey. Performances are 13 April – 4 May 2023.

Paines Plough has announced a number of new appointments across the organisation. Kully Thiarai will replace the outgoing Kim Grant as Chair of the Board, and new Trustees Lauren Dark and Farha Quadri join the Board of Trustees.

Aminita Francis (Red Riding Hood, Liverpool EVERYMAN), Keziah Joseph (Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear, NATIONAL THEATRE), Mofetoluwa Akande (A Christmas Carol, BRISTOL OLD VIC), Aimée Powell (Nothello, BELGRADE THEATRE) and Alistair Hall (Safe, NORWICH THEATRE ROYAL) are cast in the World Premiere and National Tour of Mojisola Adebayo’s award-winning play Family Tree

Casting has been announced for the World Premiere and National Tour of Mojisola Adebayo’s award-winning play Family Tree, presented by Actors Touring Company (ATC) and Belgrade Theatre Coventry in association with Brixton House Theatre. 

Bristol Old Vic has announced the final shows of The Weston Studio's spring season are on sale now. This is a packed-to-the-rafters programme, bringing a wild mix of theatre-makers from across the spectrum straight to the Studio floor. And with the new multibuy offer, people can see more for less this season.

Laura Elliot and Corey Campbell, the new leadership team of the Belgrade Theatre Coventry, have revealed further details of the spring 2023 season, which will include a series of high quality, co-created dramas, co-produced with nationally and internationally renowned companies and theatres; as they further cement the programming under the umbrella of their vision of the Belgrade as a 'Theatre of Diverse Stories'.

In their first ever co-production, Tamasha theatre company and the ICA present STARS: an Afrofuturist Space Odyssey, about an older woman who goes into outer space in search of her own orgasm. It is created by Alfred Fagon Award 2021 winner and George Devin Award 2022 finalist Mojisola Adebayo, directed by Gail Babb and S. Ama Wray, with animations by artist Candice Purwin, and music direction by producer Debo Adebayo.

Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse has announced a 2023 season that boasts four re-imagined classics on stage and the introduction of six new Associate Companies.

The Royal Society of Literature (RSL), the UK's charity for the advancement of literature, has announced the authors honoured in the second year of the RSL International Writers programme. This annual, life-long award recognises the contribution of writers across the globe to literature in English.

Tyrell Williams has been announced as the recipient of the 53rd George Devine Award for his play Red Pitch, picking up a £15,000 prize in support of his future as a playwright. 

The George Devine Award has announced its 2022 Shortlist of nine playwrights. Formed in 1966 in memory of the Royal Court's founding Artistic Director George Devine, the Award is recognised as one of the most prestigious in new writing and seeks to shine a light on a playwright of promise.