Keeping it together: Talawa Theatre Company, Britishness, aesthetics of scale and mainstreaming the black-British experience

This chapter sets out to examine the first twenty five years of Talawa’s existence as Britain’s foremost black-led theatre company. It focuses particularly on how their continued existence (despite the demise of so many other black-led theatre companies) and visibility as a voice of diversity (despite the ever-changing policies and funding priorities of the Arts Council) can be attributed to the philosophy, vision, and resilience of its founding members which has continued to guide the company till date. Using excerpts from an interview with Talawa’s Artistic Director, Patricia Cumper, the article examines the company’s profound contribution to British theatre aesthetic and the redefinition of contemporary British identity, through their insightful and cultural articulation of the politics of a black-British experience.