Talawa Theatre Company, the UK’s leading Black British Theatre Company is entering its 40th anniversary year with a programme dedicated to championing the next four decades of Black talent. TALAWA 86:26 presents an ode to the past as well as a celebration of their present with the launch of a lecture series, a tour of outdoor festivals, and ongoing initiatives that place advocacy, community, storytelling and talent development at the forefront.
Working in collaboration with RADA, the Mona Hammond Lecture Series will honour the radical legacy of the Talawa founder. This new series underscores a shared commitment to diversity, innovation and nurturing African and Caribbean diaspora and Global Majority talent entering drama education and the theatre industry. With its first public event taking place in September 2026, the three-year lecture series will address current industry trends and issues. Mona Hammond was herself a RADA graduate and her pioneering work broke racial and gender barriers, championing representation and inclusivity in the arts.
Talawa’s Fragments of Us will embark on a UK tour of outdoor festivals throughout 2026. In collaboration with London-based Black British contemporary dance company FUBUNATION and theatre and live art practitioner Sonia Hughes, Fragments of Us uses movement and spoken word to platform Black voices and experiences. Giving audiences the chance to interact with an intimate and personal story, the tour will allow for Black narratives to be shared with audiences from Brighton to Stockton.
This Summer, Talawa will also presents a special staged reading of the company’s 1986 debut production The Black Jacobins, that will explore the ways in which C.L.R. James’s Haitian Revolution play, and its message of anti-racist rebellion, remains staunchly relevant in our time.
The company will host a 40th Anniversary Showcase in London toward the end of 2026. This landmark event will spotlight the immense impact Talawa has had pioneering Black excellence in the industry. Talawa’s milestone anniversary year recognises the past, as well as remaining determined to be courageous and creative in their contribution to theatre.
Full details: https://talawa.com/articles/happy-40th-anniversary-talawa/
