Natalie Ibu News

The UK and European premiere of Claudia Rankine's The White Card will open at Northern Stage in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in May before a three-month UK tour.

Casting has been announced for the European premiere of Claudia Rankine's first published play, The White Card. This is a co-production between Leeds Playhouse, Northern Stage, Birmingham Repertory Theatre & Soho Theatre, in association with HOME Manchester directed by Northern Stage's Artistic Director, Natalie Ibu and opens in Leeds from 24 May – 4 June.

RTYDS have announced three talented freelance directors and theatre-makers for their 18-month Residencies at prestigious theatres across the country. 

Following the celebratory reopening of Birmingham Rep this autumn with critically acclaimed productions of East is East, the brand new musical What’s New Pussycat? and the presentation of Grenfell: Value Engineering, Artistic Director Sean Foley announces a new collection of work to follow his own production of the classic comedy The Play What I Wrote.

HOME has announced the appointments of Pearl & Dean CEO Kathryn Jacob OBE as Chair, alongside new Trustees, Dr Ruth Bromley and Sita McIntosh. They join the existing Board of Trustees at Manchester's international multi-arts centre and will support HOME's work in this pivotal time of recovery and in shaping future strategy.

Following its Housewarming programme - open hearted work that celebrated connection and community, This is Now invites artists and audiences to join a yearlong conversation about who we are and who we want to be; to think deeply about the important questions of our time, and to find refuge in coming together to imagine our way through the world we live in, right now.

In the 35th anniversary of Jim Cartwright's joyous and anarchic masterpiece, the residents of Road are relocated to the North East in the first show Artistic Director Natalie Ibu will direct for Northern Stage.

Free events in local neighbourhoods across the North East throughout June will be followed by two new pop-up venues in July and August, before reopening the theatre from 25 August with a Housewarming programme that opens with a new Unfolding Theatre show co-created with children, and includes the first production Artistic Director Natalie Ibu will direct for Northern Stage.

Nottingham Playhouse reveals a Spring Loaded season of twenty three events. New work from Alan Bennett, Emteaz Hussain and other artists will join an array of ambitious new programming this spring.

This past week saw the release of Dear Tomorrow – Hope From Home, an exciting collaboration by Actors Touring Company and Northern Stage. The virtual project consisted of six video-letters of hope and optimism, released each day from 22 February to 27 February, and written by six different writers, performed to six different actors.

Less than three months into her role as Artistic Director, Natalie Ibu announces her inaugural season at Northern Stage. THIS IS US promises to bring audiences stories, no matter what, through a bold programme of collaborations, commissions and curated work that celebrates the collective, connection and community.

Behind the Curtains is a podcast centring and celebrating the off-stage roles in theatre. We shine a spotlight on Black creatives who work backstage in roles that are often the backbone of the industry.

The Yard Theatre's brand new programme, Live Lab, is a four month paid opportunity for six artists to take part in workshops, masterclasses and to create new work with a funded week-long research and development stage. 

Siana Bangura and Christina Nicole, in partnership with English Touring Theatre, today announce a new podcast series Behind the Curtains, spotlighting Black creatives in the theatre industry. The series, hosted by Siana Bangura and Christina Nicole and co-produced by ETT, Bangura, and Nicole, will feature conversations with Black theatre-makers and creatives about their career experiences and navigating the current creative landscape.

Northern Stage today announced the appointment of Natalie Ibu as their new Artistic Director and Joint Chief Executive. Natalie, currently Artistic Director and Chief Executive of tiata fahodzi, will take up the role in November 2020. She succeeds Lorne Campbell, who joined National Theatre of Wales in March.

Natalie Ibu, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of tiata fahodzi, the UK's leading British-African contemporary theatre company, is to step down from her role to take up a new position as Artistic Director and Joint CEO at Northern Stage.

Scenes for Survival, the ongoing digital project created by the National Theatre of Scotland, continues to entertain audiences with new weekly releases across BBC and National Theatre of Scotland online platforms.

Utopia Theatre has announced the full programme for its Creative Hub. Over 40 African Theatre professionals will be offering free online workshops and masterclasses to people of African origin aged 16 and above. The programme will feature a variety of performances that will be streamed live from Monday 29 June to December 2020.

An Open Letter has been written to Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Culture, from black, Asian, and ethnically diverse theatre artistic directors and cultural leaders. The letter was written to emphasize the importance  of protecting representation in the sector.

In 2016 tiata fahodzi brought together 20 Stories High, Freedom Studios and Talawa Theatre Company to challenge the absence of people of colour running publicly funded theatre organisations; the Artistic Director Leadership Programme (ADLP) has now reached its conclusion after a successful three years.