Who is Maya?
Our Vision
Our vision is a world where everyone, regardless of age, ability, culture and class enjoys enriching theatre, arts and heritage experiences.
Our Mission
We bring together individuals and organisations who passionately want their work to enable racial justice and social change by:-
Making and touring theatre led by South Asian, African, Latin American diaspora and Global Majority artists:
- Telling authentic stories
- Building new audiences
- Championing diverse role models
Engaging young people and underrepresented communities across the UK in creative processes:
- Unlocking participants’ creative potential and developing creative and transferable skills.
- Demystifying theatre, arts and heritage processes
- Inspiring future artists and industry professionals
Developing inclusive workforce practices across the arts:
- Exposing and dismantling barriers
- Supporting career pathways through coaching and mentoring
- Creating and deliver Race and Allyship training
Latest Activity
In 2024 we were delighted to have:-
Our offie nominated, 4* interactive family musical, Súper Chefs by Betsy Picart, on tour.
Shared heartwarming, powerful and vital stories, memories, poetry and performances from community groups in Bradford, Croydon and Sheffield, at Migration Matters Festival as part of Routes to Roots: A South Asian Heritage Project.
Created beautiful artwork and touching poetry during our partnership with South Yorkshire Housing Association, working in residential schemes for those with long-term mental health conditions.
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
Ferry Van Dijk
Shuang Teng
Janet Steel
Anna Birch
Jaime Nabeta
Anselm Onyenani
Current Collaborators:
Florence Gill
Cara McAleese
Jen Watts
Thananya Kaewsanthia
Dan Loops
Tair Rafiq
Nisha Lall
Ethel Maqeda
Rez Kabir
Sharena Lee Satti
Aamta Tul Waheed
Breman Rajkumar
Betsy Picart
María Cuervo
Ariel Cubria
Ada Onyekwelu
Natalie Ross
Riz Maslen
Mike Gorman
Paul Sirett
Past Collaborators Include:
Elizabeth Salazar Guerra, Goose Masondo, Male Arcucci, Harvey Ebbage, Luis Gustavo Silva, Marie McAndrew, Assen Chan, Valentina Miranda, Kate Lovell, Natassia Bustamante, Juan Galeano, Samantha Manzur, Nadia Emam, Linda-Ray Ndlovu, Richard Peralta, Sabrina Laurison, Jane Titterton, Abir Tobji, Luke Green, Rekha John-Cheriyan, Aarushi Ganju, Indira Lakshmi, Lucy Williams, Adrian Devant, Dayani Nisha Jinadasa, Keyhan Modaress, Kerena Jagpal, Malakaï Sargeant, Shanti Sarkar, Nicola Chang, Ivan Pieri Gonzalez, Natalia Knowlton, Leonora Thompson, Pembe Tokluhan, Pancho Diaz , Cinthia Lilen, Damian Schedler, Maria León, Thahmina Begum, Chim’Di Ugada, Annette Brook, Monika Dutti, 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.
MAYA wants to change what takes place on our stages and screens and you can be part of it.