Who is Maya?
Our Vision
Our vision is a world where everyone, regardless of age, ability, culture and class has access to good quality theatre experiences.
Our Mission
We make diverse theatre to create change.
We bring together organisations and individuals who passionately want their work to enable social change and racial justice in the arts.
Our Aims
To make work led by ethnically diverse artists:
- creating theatre that engages our senses, takes us to new places, makes us laugh, cry and think.
- presenting authentic stories of contemporary relevance
- finding the right form for the story – working without limits
- establishing strategic partnerships to amplify these voices to larger audiences and advocate for wider societal change
- profiling ethnically diverse Role Models to inspire the next generation.
To engage with young people and communities across the UK:
- unlocking the creative potential and developing the skills of our participants.
- demystifying theatre processes.
- inspiring a diverse pool of artists, industry professionals for the future.
- reaching new audiences for our work and that of our partners, particularly those traditionally least engaged with theatre.
To promote workforce diversity across the arts:
- raising awareness of barriers to progression and offer practical steps to make change through research projects
- supporting career pathways for individuals through coaching and mentoring
- enabling organisations and leadership teams to pave the way for greater inclusion and equity for ethnically diverse artists, freelancers and employee
Company Background
The company was founded in 1994 by Sita Ramamurthy and Christopher Preston to develop and produce scripted new drama reflecting cultural diversity. Over the next 15 years, the company supported the careers of many ethnically diverse industry professionals, creating theatre productions, touring plays to over 30 venues nationally, and producing the popular Write to Ignite Hackney Word Festival over four years. The company’s Outwrite programme involved 100s of young people in developing playwriting and other theatre skills.
Artistic Director Suzanne Gorman joined after a long association with Maya. She is a Director, Dramaturg and Producer committed to bringing diverse work into mainstream culture and has a track record in new writing and pioneering new ways of working. Her groundbreaking and critically acclaimed Moonwalking in Chinatown promenade for Soho Theatre, where she led the creative engagement department, was held up as an example of “how arts and culture can impact on placemaking” in Westminster’s Arts and Cultural Strategy. Her work has been described as –
“Triumphant proof that small-scale need not mean limited ambition.”
★★★★
The Guardian on ‘The Honey Man’
Team & Board of Trustees
Suzanne Gorman
Christopher Preston
Rae Garvin
Jo Carter
Shuang Teng
Stephen Hoo
Anna Birch
Bec Martin Williams
Anselm Onyenani
Current Collaborators:
Ada Onyekwelu
Lizzie Vogler
Riz Maslen
Mike Gorman
Paul Sirett
Sam Holland
Jo Egan
Nancy Poole
Gemma Baxter
Sharon Mitcheson
Past Collaborators Include:
Matilda Ibini, Ade Adeluwoye, Tongesayi Gumbo, Sile Sibanda, Jason Patel, Natasha Lewis, Keshini Misha, Adam Samuel-Bal , Tanveer Devgun, Oliver Manning, Nadjet Ben Maghnia, Blake Sherwin, Jo Eaton Kent, Arun Ghosh, Oladipo Agboluage, Victor Rios, Alton Brown, Tania Rodrigues,Theo Toksvig-Stewart, Nicole Sawyer, Shala Nyx, Emma Kedge, Marina Hadjilouca, Katharine Williams, Diane Alison-Mitchell, Shane Melisse, Gary Horsman, Maisie Nicholas, Matt Llewellyn Smith, Nadine Rennie, Jaye Kearney, Wayne Gamble, Little Mighty, Enric Ortuno, Seda Yildiz, Seema Bowri, Adam Colbourne, Urielle Klein-Mekongo, Jacob V Joyce, Cristal Cole, Raphael Veras, Elle Rose, Maya Ellis, Ellie Collier, Ashtar Al Khirsan, Salihah Agbaje, Pip Nash, Sam Petherbridge, Nicole Grandision, Liz Greenfield, Rasheeda Guinn, Tessa Gordziejko, Akbar Kumar, Jonny Wright, Supreme Frost, Ben Wright, Harry Jardine, Peter Bankole, Daniel Gentely, Ashley Chin, Kieran Hardcastle, Ian Williams, Ed Sunman, Anu Kumar, Shireen Mula, Domokos Wootsch, Eva Auster, Michael Rosen, Penny Cliff, Nathan Penlington, Akkas Al-Ali, Samina Baig, Michael McMillan, Stacy Makishi, Jessica Smerin, Peter Clark, Taylan Halici, Maureen Hibber, Tammy Mendelson, Richard Sumitro, Roshni Savjani, Valentin Hoffmann, Jack Murphy, Janet Steel, Abigail Graham, Morgan Thomas, Becky Brown, Lucy Shilton, Samia Masood, Asha Joshi, Bridget Hearne, Rosanna Raymond, Rangimoana Taylor, Bethany Matai Edmunds, Sara Clifford, Delmozene Morris-Ley, Amani Napthali, Lina Dhingra and Neil Biswas.
Partners:
Maya Productions works in partnership with other organisations to develop and deliver work. Past and current partners include Refugee Youth, Croydon Early Intervention Support Service, Half Moon Theatre, Peckham Theatre, Soho Theatre, English Touring Theatre, Community Catalyst and Community Action Southwark, Southwark Council, Immediate Theatre, Harrogate Theatre, The Brick Box, The Zakir Family Centre, Landscape, South Bank Centre, Croydon Music and Arts, British Red Cross, Croydon Disability Youth Service, Why Comics, Central Foundation School for Girls, Ovalhouse, Sheffield Theatres, Theatre Deli, Migration Matters Festival, Barbican, Ignite Imaginations, Home Slough and the National Theatre.
Funders:
Arts and Humanities Research Council, Arts Council England, Awards For All, Creative Newham, Creative New Zealand, Croydon Council, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Fusion Fund, Hackney Council (Hackney Cultural Development and Hackney Council Library Service), Lloyds TSB Foundation, London Calling, Newcomen Collett Foundation, Royal Victoria Hall Foundation, Sanctuary Housing, Skinner’s Company – Lady Neville Charity, Steel Charitable Trust, Teale Charitable Trust, The JG Graves Charitable Trust, The Learning Trust, The Morel Trust, The Trust for London, The Zakir Family Centre, Unity Theatre Trust and Waltham Forest Council.