Talawa was founded in 1986 in response to the lack of creative opportunities for Black actors and creatives. Today, it is the primary Black led theatre company in the UK, with more than 50 touring productions behind it, and takes up residence within the redeveloped Fairfield Halls in Croydon, giving the UK’s primary Black theatre company a 200 seat studio and offices.

Talawa Theatre Company is a National Portfolio Organisation, supported by funding from Arts Council England in recognition of consistently high quality artistic work and audience development. Our name, Talawa, comes from a Jamaican patois term and means gutsy and strong: ‘me lickle but me Talawa’