A powerhouse of creativity
Next month, Nouveau Riche, the multi-award-winning creative movement, co-founded by critically-acclaimed local playwright Ryan Calais Cameron teams up for the second year in a row with Broadway Theatre, Catford and the London borough of Lewisham to present SEEN LEWISHAM 2025, a landmark arts and culture festival dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices and showcasing incredible local creative artists.
The 10-day programme features a powerhouse of creativity with seven bold new shows staged in the venue’s newly-launched studio space. Underpinning the festival is also an eclectic mix of comedy, community events, international gospel music, genre-bending club nights, live music and dance performances.
SEEN Lewisham’s Studio shows include Inertia by Tobi King Bakare. The actor and writer of Before I Go, which was nominated five times at the Black British Theatre Awards, presents a new cyberpunk inspired play which explores a virtual reality-born relationship that questions love, identity and the technologies that promise freedom; Strong by multidisciplinary creator Maria Georgiou, whose work is motivated by social and political issues, is a stirring piece which follows a British Greek Cypriot mother navigating love, loss, faith and resilience; Actor Demi WilsonSmith makes her writing debut in Cranes a story of identity, power and justice through the lens of an 18-year-old’s first protest against austerity and the shattering consequences.
More studio shows include LIEF, a hiphop musical by vocal artist and performer NadineRose; Arethajay McEwen’s Checkmate which fuses spoken word and movement on a life-sized chessboard to chart a fighter’s rise and the price of power while grime; garage and afro house DJ Sharifa Olateju transforms a bedroom set into a gig-theatre experience of live bands, guitars and cinematic staging in Sharifa: From The Sofa. Choreographer Akshay Sharma whose dance combines western contemporary techniques with nonEuropean traditions presents Leave To Remain, inviting audiences into a pilgrimage of body and place where memory, loss and belonging transform into joy, with live Indian classical vocals.
The seven rising talents featured in the Studio shows received a four-month grant as part of the festival’s mentorship programme, with mentors by Theophilus O.Bailey, Powerhouse Music & Vocals and Nouveau Riche. (See notes to editors).
Artistic Director Ryan Calais Cameron says: “We’re thrilled to bring SEEN Lewisham back for its second year, building on the incredible momentum and community we created in 2024. This year, we’re evolving our mentorship programme, and presenting a powerful line-up of work that celebrates culture and community. Our partnership with Broadway Theatre and Lewisham Council is central to this – together, we’re investing in artists, creating opportunity, and making sure Lewisham’s creativity is truly seen.“
Creative Producer Carmel O’Connor For Co-Producers Broadway Theatre says: “Broadway Theatre has long been home to incredible Global Majority Artists. We are proud to bring back SEEN Lewisham and invest in artist’s whose stories are all too often, untold. Broadway Theatre is emerging as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ in supporting and facilitating new work, bringing communities together and showcasing incredible new talent.”
Booking and full festival details: https://www.broadwaytheatre.org.uk/seen-lewisham/
