commitment
to artists
An Artist’s Story: Malaika Kegode
"In an industry that can feel impenetrable, tiata fahodzi set a benchmark for kindness and clarity. The support and belief I’ve received from them over the years has been transformative for my work and confidence, helping me to advocate for myself and push my writing to exciting new places. When you come into theatre from a non-traditional background, finding allies who understand, respect and encourage growth within your practice are essential, and it makes a world of difference knowing that Chino and tiata fahodzi are on your side.”
tiata fahodzi is an artist-led organisation – which is an idea that sits at the heart of our work. We believe in supporting an artist’s development, assisting them in growing in their craft and experience, and maintaining this level of developmental support even when they become an established artist.
A clear example of this can be found in our relationship with Malaika Kegode. Malaika is an artist that we have been consistently supporting over the last three years. Initially joining us as part of our Triple Bill Tour pilot model for Talking About A Revolution, our CEO & Artistic Director Chinonyerem Odimba worked with Malaika to develop their short, 30-minute play. This relationship allowed both Malaika and tiata fahodzi to grow in their creative ambitions to showcase the kind of work that Triple Bill was designed to champion.
After this, tiata fahodzi maintained that crucial contact with Malaika as she explored avenues of her creative career. This gave us the opportunity to support Malaika’s application to other development and artistic programmes outside of tiata fahodzi’s own. A notable example being English Touring Theatre’s New Voices Programme. This was another chance for Malaika to grow as an artist and develop her network within the theatre industry, which is something that we are proud to be able to offer British African heritage / Black British artists as a company.
Now in 2025, we have offered Malaika a place as part of our R.U.D.E Seed Commissions – which stands for ‘Remember You Disrupt Everything’. It’s an opportunity for four artists to embody tiata fahodzi’s belief of compassionate disruption when beginning the initial stages of their creative process, to be able to create something that challenges the form and their own body of work.
In creating this sustained connection, we believe that we have created a home for Malaika and writers like her to develop their ambitious work as British African heritage / Black British artist, to be able to create art that disrupts the form and seeds change in the wider theatre ecology, and takes deliberate care of artists through the ebbs and flows of their career.
R.U.D.E Seed Commissions
We are committed to our artists, forever devising future-thinking ways to engage with new ideas and writing, and to support new writers to think about their next big play.
Our R.U.D.E (Remember U Disrupt Everything) seed commissions for 2025/2026 include Malaika Kegode, Tonderai Munyevu, Lettie Precious and mandla x, and we have invited them to take time dreaming, researching, and thinking about the one play they have always wanted to write.
The plays will take inspiration from our work at tiata fahodzi, and will tell their story in a way that helps expand their horizons as artists.
Malaika Kegode
Malaika Kegode is an award-winning writer, performer, theatre-maker and creative producer based in Bristol. Her work is focused on uplifting and celebrating the overlooked and misunderstood. She is especially passionate about challenging common narratives about working-class and rural communities through stories told across mixed disciplines. Beginning her creative career as a performance poet in 2014, Malaike has since developed her practice to encompass theatre and radio writing, teaching, producing and film curation.
Her radio drama Tribe of Two (produced by Afonica for BBC Radio 4) was shortlisted for the prestigious Imison Award by the Society of Authors. In 2025, she was a mentored writer as part of Channel 4’s 4Screenwriting course. Malaika’s work has been featured on a variety of stages, including Southbank Centre, Lyric Hammersmith, University of Austria and The Scottish Storytelling Centre. In addition to her writing, Malaika works as a mentor, dramaturg and editor. Malaike is a vocal advocate for creativity as a tool for healing, connection and collaboration. She is dedicated to helping people to tell their stories and find healing through the creative process through teaching workshops, mentoring individuals and producing accessible events. Malaika is a proud Trustee for mental health & arts charity Many Minds.
mandla x
mandla is a Zimbabwean-born writer and performer whose work takes many forms - poetry, theatre/performance art, lyrics, cabaret, film and dramaturgy. often drawing from internal intersectional existence, the artist is heavily concerned with attempting to communicate the many sensations of being a person.
‘as british as a watermelon’ - the artist’s first solo show, it toured across the UK and to Germany in venues such as Contact, Bristol Old Vic with Mayfest, Edinburgh International Festival, Sheffield Crucible, Liverpool Unity Theatre, Theaterhaus G7 in Mannheim and outdoor festival TROPEZ! in Berlin. mandla has been commissioned by many organisations incl. the BFI, Journeys Festival International & Hope Mill Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, BFI, Voices Weaving, Art With Heart, Fringe of Colour and Royal Exchange Theatre to make original written works.mandla’s written work has been published in: ‘New Landscapes Anthology’ from Lungs Project; ‘Imagine Anthology’ from Counterpoints Arts; ‘Tell Me Who We Were Before Life Made Us Anthology’ from 3ofCups Press; ‘You Otter Know’ by Polari Press; ‘Indivisible Anthology’ from Commonword, Gay Times & Boomsbury’s ‘My White Best Friend North’ – commissioned by the Royal Exchange Theatre.
Lettie Precious (they/them)
Lettie Precious is a writer from Sheffield currently living in London. Their first full length play THIS IS US has been developed with the support of the National Theatre Studio. Short plays include MY WHITE BEST FRIEND at the Royal Court Theatre in 2020 and THE GREY AREA as part of ‘Queer Upstairs’ at the Royal Court in 2019. They have also had other short plays presented by Theatre Royal Stratford East, Jermyn St Theatre, Theatre503, Theatre Centre and Fuel.
Audio work includes a coming of age / genderless love story called ROAD TO HEAVEN inspired by Anne Garrétta’s SPHINX with Novel/BBC Radio 4 (2021), and a 4 part radical adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s ORLANDO for Audible (2021). Their play 12 LETTERS TO MY NAME was commissioned by and is in active development with ETT and Graeae, and they’re developing a new play with Sheffield Theatres. Screen work includes the short film OH TONI! as part of the BBC’s The Break (2021) (which was shortlisted for the Broadcast Digital Award 2022), an original feature with Long Acre / Air Street Films, and an original TV series being developed with support of the BBC Writers’ Room.
Lettie was part of the BBC Writers’ Room 2019/20 and won a Royal Court Theatre / Kudos Fellowship in 2019.
Tonderai Munyevu
Tonderai is an award-winning writer and director. His creative credits include Mama Goose (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Mansfield Park (Watermill Theatre/Two Gents), Mugabe, My Dad and Me (York Theatre Royal / ETT), The Moors (Tara Arts / Two Gents), The Last Chihoro (BBC Radio 4), and Blaccine: First Dose (Stockroom / Pitlochry Festival Theatre). He was a salaried writer at Stockroom and a Creative Associate at Tiata Fahodzi. He is currently under commission to the RSC and Brixton House.
Tonderai is also a performer, his credits include Liberation (Manchester Royal Exchange), As You Like It (Shakespeare’s Globe), Mugabe, My Dad and Me (York Theatre Royal / ETT / Brixton House), The Claim (Shoreditch Town Hall), Precipice (Grange Festival), 846 Live (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Sizwe Banzi Is Dead (Young Vic), Black Men Walking (Royal Court), Carmen (Grange Festival), Treasure Island (Birmingham Rep), and Two Gentlemen of Verona — or Vakomana Vaviri veZimbabwe [performed in Shona] (Shakespeare’s Globe/Two Gents).
Screen work includes Doctors, The Day of the Triffids, and Something Nice From London, as well as many performances for radio.
Alumni
2022-23 PlayLab Alumni
Oladipo Agboluaje
Yomi Sode
Gillian Burke
Monique Touko
Esther Ajayi
