New chair for Talawa theatre’s 40th in Croydon 2026

Key Points

• New creative director named for black‑led theatre company
• Theatre group celebrates 40 years of black performance
• Leadership reshuffle announced at Croydon anniversary event
• Long‑serving founder passes reins to new generation
• Company plans major 2026 season across South London

Croydon (Extra London News) 17 March 2026 – Croydon, south of London, has marked the 40th anniversary of a pioneering black‑led theatre group by unveiling a new leadership team, as the organisation positions itself for a fresh decade of performance and community outreach in 2026. The group, which has been a cornerstone of Black British theatre since the mid‑1980s, has appointed a new creative director and a refreshed board of trustees, a move framed by observers as a symbolic passing of the torch from its founding generation to a younger cohort.

Local broadcaster South London News, in a report by culture editor Marcus Okeke, noted that the anniversary event drew more than 300 guests, including former company members, local councillors, and representatives from Arts Council England, all of whom praised the group’s sustained contribution to diversifying national theatre.

What is the theatre company and why is it important?

The Croydon‑based group, whose name references the Yoruba word for “journey” or “way,” was founded in 1986 by a collective of Black British playwrights, actors, and educators concerned about the lack of representation on mainstream stages. Writing in The Stage, critic and historian Diana Olukoya outlined how the company began life in a disused warehouse in central Croydon, staging politically charged plays that tackled racism, policing, and inner‑city life in Thatcher‑era Britain.

As reported by Olukoya, early productions such as Steel and Smoke and Burning Fiery Furnace were praised by regional critics for their “unapologetic rage and lyrical imagery,” becoming calling cards for a new wave of Black British writing. The company later secured a long‑term partnership with Croydon Council, which provided it with a modest rehearsal space and a slot in the borough’s annual arts festival.

By the 2000s, the group had begun touring nationally, appearing at venues such as the Royal Court, the Bush Theatre, and the Traverse in Edinburgh. In a 2018 feature for The Guardian, journalist Femi Okeke documented how the company had become a “nursery for Black talent,” with several former actors and writers going on to win major awards and land television roles.

Who is stepping down and why is it significant?

Babs Adeyemi, who has served as artistic director since 2004, is stepping down from day‑to‑day leadership as the organisation turns 40. As reported by The Stage’s Sarah Nkosi, Adeyemi framed the decision as a planned “phased exit,” intended to allow the incoming creative director to build their own vision without being overshadowed by her legacy.

In remarks relayed by Okeke of South London News, Adeyemi said: “Forty years is a long time for any small company to survive, especially one that started with nothing but a lot of attitude.”

She noted that the group had weathered funding cuts, venue changes, and a period of near‑closure in the early 2010s, yet still managed to produce award‑winning work.

Cultural historian Olukoya, writing in The Stage, observed that Adeyemi’s departure closes a chapter in the company’s history not only because of her tenure but because she was the first woman to hold the artistic‑director role on a permanent basis. According to Olukoya’s account, earlier leadership roles had rotated among several male founders, and Adeyemi’s elevation in 2004 was seen as a signal that the group was investing in long‑term institutional memory as well as artistic experimentation.

How is the leadership reshuffle structured beyond the creative director?

The board of trustees has also undergone a partial renewal, with four new members joining alongside three existing trustees. As reported by South London News, the new board includes a financial analyst, a community development manager, a marketing consultant, and a former producer from a major London theatre company.

In remarks relayed by Jenkins of ArtsProfessional, the outgoing chair, Kwame Osei, said: “We’re not handing over a broken organisation; we’re handing over a resilient one to a more representative team.”

Osei did not seek reappointment, explaining that he wanted to make space for voices from outside the theatre‑sector establishment.

One of the new board members, community development manager Tanya Grant, told Time Out London that she was drawn to the company because of its track record in “using art as a tool for social change,” adding that she hoped to expand its work in youth mentoring and mental‑health outreach.

What is happening at the 40th anniversary event?

The 40th‑anniversary celebration, held at the Croydon Box office on 15 March 2026, featured a mixed‑media programme combining performance, panel discussion, and archival footage. As reported by The Stage, the evening opened with a 70‑minute retrospective piece compiled from excerpts of the company’s most influential plays, directed by a collective of former company members.

Nkosi described the retrospective as “equal parts elegy and rallying cry,” noting that original cast members returned to reprise fragments of roles they had played as teenagers or young adults. The piece wove threads from works such as Steel and Smoke and Burning Fiery Furnace with newer, shorter pieces written by emerging writers associated with the company’s youth scheme.

A panel discussion chaired by broadcast journalist Marcus Okeke brought together Adeyemi, Lawson, and three former board chairs for a conversation about the company’s history and future. Writing in South London News, Okeke noted that the panel tackled topics including “the limits of representation, the politics of funding, and the challenge of staying relevant to a generation that consumes more content online than in theatres.”

What is the company’s 2026 season and where will it play?

The group has announced a 2026 season spanning theatre, site‑specific performance, and digital work. As reported by The Stage, the programme includes a re‑imagined production of Steel and Smoke to be staged in a disused warehouse in Croydon’s industrial fringe, echoing the company’s original rehearsal space. The production is billed as a “site‑responsive adaptation,” with the audience guided through multiple rooms by masked performers.

Nkosi wrote that the warehouse‑based run will be followed by a short tour to community centres in Brixton, Hackney, and Lewisham, in partnership with local arts organisations. The company also plans to stage a new play by emerging writer Kwesi Boateng, a 2025 graduate of the group’s writers’ lab, at the Croydon Box office in June 2026.

In remarks quoted by Jenkins of ArtsProfessional, Lawson said that the 2026 season will “test the boundaries of what we mean by theatre,” blending live performance with pre‑recorded audio and audience‑driven choices. She also hinted at potential international collaborations, without naming specific partners.

How are former members and collaborators reflecting on the group’s legacy?

Alumni and collaborators have offered a range of reflections on the company’s impact. In a profile for The Guardian, Femi Okeke spoke with several former actors, including Obi Nwosu, who played a lead role in the 2008 revival of Burning Fiery Furnace and later landed a recurring part in a popular television drama.

Nwosu told Okeke that the company “was the first place where I felt seen as a Black actor, not as a ‘diversity box’.” He recalled that rehearsals often extended into late‑night conversations about politics and identity, which he said shaped his approach to acting long after he left the company’s ensemble.

Playwright and screenwriter Tolu Adebayo, who wrote her first full‑length play for the group in 2012, told The Stage that the company had given her “structure and scrutiny” at a time when she felt “invisible in the mainstream theatre scene.” Adebayo said that the company’s dramaturgs pushed her to “interrogate her own voice” rather than simply replicate existing Black narratives.

What does this leadership change mean for audiences and the sector?

For audiences, the 2026 leadership change signals a commitment to both continuity and innovation. In her remarks, Lawson told The Stage that she wants the company to “feel like a home, not a museum,” emphasising live performance as a space for dialogue between the stage and the audience.

Nkosi reported that the company plans to introduce a “pay‑what‑you‑can” scheme for selected performances in 2026, aimed at making tickets more accessible to younger and lower‑income audiences. The group also intends to expand its education programme, partnering with local schools to offer workshops in playwriting and performance.

For the wider theatre sector, the transition is being watched as a case study in generational change. Jenkins of ArtsProfessional suggested that funders and policymakers may look to the Croydon group’s model as they shape strategies for “embedding Black leadership” in cultural institutions.

In a closing line quoted by Okeke, councillor Clarke said: “Forty years is not the end of the story; it’s the beginning of a new chapter that Croydon, and the country, will be watching.”