Creative Team

Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu Director

Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu is a British-Ghanaian theatre-maker whose work aims to stretch the imagination of his audiences with his unique brand of storytelling. He was nominated for an Olivier in 2022 for his work on For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy by Ryan Calais Cameron.

As director, theatre includes: For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy (Nouveau Riche/Boundless/New Diorama & Royal Court Theatre), Little Baby Jesus (Orange Tree), Twilight (St. Mary’s University), The Spalding Suite (LAMDA), Gone Too Far! (Guildhall), Bootycandy (Gate Theatre). As writer/director, theatre includes: Sweet Like Chocolate Boy (Jack Studio/BAC/Tobacco Factory/Theatre Peckham), Sundown Kiki (Young Vic), Divine (Arts Ed), Hyde & Seek (Guildhall). Awards include: 2019 JMK Young Director Award, 2022 Black British Theatre Award for Best Director.

Jerome Scott Assistant Director

Jerome is a multi-disciplinary artist exploring stories through writing and movement. When facilitating, he likes to create spaces of play and discovery and build work from the bodies and voices in the room. His most recent works have looked at movement direction for new writing, ‘PITCH’ with November Theatre and ‘How We Swim’ written by Tabby Lamb. He will also feature in ’Thicker Than Water’, written by Temi Majekodunmi - both will be performed at National Youth Theatres - StoryFest.

He has assistant directed on a number of projects and really enjoys the knitting together of a narrative - with a key focus on collaboration that drives the work.

The medium of his his writing is poetry, some of which explores identity, childhood, queerness (not limited to). Currently working to words a collection that will be shared through a number of mediums.

John Pfumojena Voice Coach (Falsetto)

John Pfumojena is an award-winning Zimbabwean Composer, Musical Director, Actor and Theatre Director. His music is published by Warner Chappell Music, and he is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford (Exeter College)

His work includes Composer for UK Theatre's Best New Play Enough of Him; Musical Director and Vocal Arranger For Black Boys play; Composer and Musical Director Richard the Second play; Composer The Jungle play; Director Sizwe Banzi is Dead play; Creator and Director Bunker of Zion Theatre production.John is the recipient of the OBIE Awards Special Citation (New York) and Best Supporting Actor in a Play –Broadwayworld San Francisco Awards and has received nominations for Best Music & Musical Direction for the Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland and the Black British Theatre Awards. Additionally, John Pfumojena is a former Visiting Lecturer at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and LAMDA – London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.

Tanaka Bingwa Movement Director

Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tanaka Bingwa migrated to the UK at the age of 10. He later moved from Surrey to further his dance career at the University of East London. Studying Dance: Urban Practice he developed his knowledge and technique in dance styles varying from contemporary to breakin’ and hip hop. As a creative artist, he has choreographed pieces in response to immigration and ‘blackness’ today. He went on to graduate with a First Class Degree.

Some of his credits include: Danny Boyle, Shakespeare Globe Theatre and Guildhall school of music and Drama. He is an emerging movement director in the theatre realm and plans on continuing on his path. He has ties to renowned artists such as ‘Anne-Marrie’, ‘Nile Rodgers’, ‘GHETTS’, ‘Alicai Harley’ and ‘Boy Better Know’. Furthermore, Tanaka has worked with hip hop theatre company, Spoken Movement and is a member of contemporary dance company, B-Hybrid Dance. He is also an active member of hip-hop theatre company, Boy Blue Entertainment. He has also made a mark in Just Us Dance Theatre in their production ‘Born to Protest’.

Tanaka has performed on many platforms such as the BBC Headquarters, The Greatest Dancer, Barbican Centre and Adelphi Theatre. As a cast member of the 5*, multiple award nominated production, ‘Blak Whyte Gray’ Bingwa toured domestically and internationally. He was also part of the cast of Free Your Mind in Manchester directed by Danny Boyle with collaborative artists such as Es Devlin and Gareth Pugh. He was also a cast member for the critically acclaimed multiple award winning hip hop theatre production, REDD. He is also an original cast member for the 5* production which premiered in May 2024 CYCLES. Bingwa has aspirations of maintaining a career in Hip Hop theatre and affecting real social change through his art and one day becoming a university lecturer in Dance.

Khalil Madovi Sound Designer

Khalil Madovi is a 26-year-old music artist, composer, writer, actor and filmmaker. He emerged in 2012 with a hit TV series and has since embarked on a diversified career in arts and entertainment, working with the likes of Channel 4, Amazon Studios, Warner Bros. and more. The BAFTA winning south London native is currently shooting his self-written and directed visual album, ‘A COLD HEARTED SUMMER’, which is due for release in 2025.

Theatre credits include: G (The Royal Court); RED PITCH (@Soho Place & Bush Theatre) for which he received an Offie nomination. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY (Nouveau Riche); Can I Live? (Complicité and The Barbican); Gone Too Far! (Theatre Royal Stratford East); SOUNDCLASH! (Edinburgh Fringe); Brenda’s Got A Baby (Nouveau Riche and New Diorama Theatre);and This Is What The Journey Does (The Old Vic).

Jahmiko Marshall Lighting Designer

Jahmiko Marshall is a Lighting and Sound Designer from Bermuda. He obtained his Lighting Technology Certificate from Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas. He was a student at LAMDA studying towards his BA Hons in Production and Technical Arts. Before arriving in London, Jahmiko was heavily involved in light design for all the productions at his High School in Bermuda which is where he developed his passion for theatre. He has then worked on shows such as for “black boys who have considered suicide when the hue gets to heavy” from the new diorama theatre up until the Garrick theatre, he has also worked on numerous other projects such as “is dat you yh” in brixton house. While also working on shows that have also been around London venues and eventually to Edinburgh fringe such as “for the love of spam”

Sandra Falase Set & Costume Designer

Sandra Falase is an interdisciplinary artist based in London, with a primary focus on live performance design, illustration, and graphic design within their practice. Their formal training was completed at the University for the Creative Arts. In 2018 they became the first recipient of the design bursary awarded by MGCFutures, in conjunction with the Gate Theatre. Sandra has worked on various exhibitions across venues that include the ICA, TATE and Afropunk 2018.

Herbe Walmsley Production Manager

Herbe trained in audio production and entered the live event world via concert festival production.

After dipping toes in the corporate AV world; he has since spent two years as Stanley Arts’ Senior Venue Technician; building his understand of the inner workings of theatre shows and sound engineering for notable productions such as Birdgang Ltd’s ‘Family (Dys)function’; Talawa Theatre Company’s ‘Recognition’ as well as large swathes of Croydon’s Borough of Culture programme. More recently, he has been Technical Manager of South Norwood’s Carnival of Invention, Production Manager of Stanley Arts’ Queer Arts Commission and Talawa Firsts on Tour.

malakaï sargeant Dramaturg

malakaï is an artist, educator and producer from pre-gentrified Hackney, London. Led by curiosity and care, malakaï works across theatre, literature and live performance, creating and interrogating through an unapologetically Afroqueer lens.

As a dramaturg, malakaï’s work has been staged at venues including Chichester Festival Theatre, Guildhall School of Music & Dance, Shoreditch Town Hall and the National Gallery. malakaï has worked extensively with young people in community settings and in higher education; co-creating, devising, scripting and facilitating cross-disciplinary work with organisations including UAL, Mountview, Hackney Empire, Unicorn Theatre, Serpentine Gallery and South London Gallery.

Tricia Wey Stage Manger

Tricia is a multi-pronged creative with experience in a variety of disciplines: acting, writing, directing, designing, tech and stage management, and theatre criticism...to name but a few!

They have a passion for removing passivity from theatre; they aim to tell stories that are often untold, and to widen representation in the performance world.

Tricia is absolutely overjoyed to be working with Talawa on TYPT: 24 and is excited to explore all the discoveries of this year's team with them!

Sophie Kettle Smith Deputy Stage Manager

Sophie studied film history at King’s College London. A theatre-maker passionate about creating immersive and empathetic art, she is a versatile set designer, stage manager and director. She has stage managed multiple musicals with the Bromley Musical Theatre Company and The Actory. She has worked with the Dickens Theatre Company as associate director for their Revision On Tour productions of ‘Macbeth’, ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ since 2021 and stage manager on ‘Christmas Carol’ she worked as assistant art director to Julia Lowe on multiple films, music videos, live music events and immersive theatre projects and has directed two short films (Reconnected, 2020) and (Soltada, 2021).

Abigail Sol Drama Therapist

Abigail Maria Sol is a Drama Psychotherapist, who harnesses creative tools such as storytelling and embodiment to support clients' well-being. She is drawn to work in settings on the margins of society, including pupil referral units, children's homes, the criminal justice system, and in-patient psychiatric wards. Community and creativity are at the core of Abigail's practice, and she endeavours to cultivate spaces that centre care.

Abigail is the Founder of Deya, a platform that connects Black creatives to employers, community and career opportunities. Deya builds upon the work of its development and production arm, Uproot. She has worked in the arts and culture sector for nearly a decade, specialising in innovative and community-focused solutions to systemic problems in the creative industry. In her work as Director of theatre and film, Abigail's storytelling typically centres on coming-of-age stories about Black women and girls. Her work has been featured on BBC Two, BBC Four, London Short Film Festival, and the stages of theatres such as Harold Pinter, Royal Court, and Young Vic.

Sumayya Si-Tayeb BSL Interpreter

Sumayya Si-Tayeb is a BSL interpreter of North African heritage, with a particular interest in performance, arts and culture, social justice and the Arabic language.