Black Feminism Spells for Self-Naming: What Makes Black Theatre?

To mark the launch of Black Feminism Spells for Self-Naming: What Makes Black Theatre? - a bold new framework for understanding Black Theatre in the UK, written by Táiyé of Second Brain HQ - mobb presents a public Panel and Q+A at the Royal Court Theatre.

Launched on 18 June by The Rendition, Second Brain HQ, and Doing Black Things With my Black Friends (together forming mobb), the framework positions self-definition as essential to reclaiming agency and resisting tokenism within the UK theatre landscape. Highlighting the communal habits of Black audiences and the historic organising power of Black women and femmes, mobb puts forward this framework with the hope that it will be adopted across the industry, supporting future discussions around audiences, programming, and institutional practice regarding Black work.

At this event, Shore Delano, Táiyé, Abi Falase and Zainab Swanzy will go deeper into the framework, opening up questions around who gets to name Black Theatre, what that power means, and what it demands of the industry. The panel and Q+A will be followed by a mixer to continue the conversation.