Talawa Theatre Company Appoints New Young Trustees

Talawa Theatre Company have appointed three new Young Trustees to join their existing ten-strong Board, responsible for the governance of the charity. The three new Trustees will be essential to ensuring Talawa keeps true to its mission and best serves Black communities in Croydon and surrounding boroughs.

Diogo Varela is a multidisciplinary performer specialising in acting and devising. He started his acting training in Portugal at the young age of 14 years old. There he worked at major theatre companies and interned in one of the Iberian Peninsula's biggest international theatre festivals, the Almada Festival. Diogo moved to London aged 18 to pursue his acting career and recently graduated from one of England's most prestigious drama schools.

Croydon's first Poet Laureate Shaniqua Benjamin is a poet, writer and creative workshop facilitator. She used her passion for making a difference to found Young People Insight CIC, a platform that empowers young people through creativity, conversation and writing. Shaniqua wrote the lyrics for the London Mozart Players' Anthem for Peace, wrote and performed a specially commissioned poem for the reopening of South London's biggest arts centre, Fairfield Halls, and wrote poems for both of Croydon's bids for London Borough of Culture. Shaniqua is also part of the organising team behind the Living in Poetry Festival, which took place in Croydon in 2018 and 2019.

Chanté Frazer is an actor, voice-over artist, writer, photographer and digital marketer. She aspires to use her talent and knowledge to "Be The Change" and works to help and inspire people who have big dreams from varying backgrounds. Chanté has performed and featured in films, commercials and powerful theatre productions, including The Secret Love Life of Ophelia (Greenwich Theatre), History on the Road (The Cockpit), Ethan's Bell (Sassy Jam Productions) and more.

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