Seven Dials Playhouse has appointed Steven Kavuma as Head of Programming. Kavuma will work in collaboration with artists and creatives to curate and deliver Seven Dials Playhouse’s artistic programmes and alongside the senior management team, help to deliver the creative and strategic vision for the organisation.
A Ugandan born, Welsh-raised writer/director, Kavuma is passionate about new writing and championing marginalised artists. This new role has been established to further develop Seven Dials Playhouse’s mission to support and collaborate with artists/creatives and Kavuma is uniquely placed to facilitate this vision. His wealth of experience and passion saw him featured in The Stage 100 List as one of the most influential people in theatre in 2020. Steven is currently employed as Course Leader of Foundation Acting at ArtsEd and is a Trustee of Actors Touring Company, he is also the co-founder of Uproot Productions, a Black-led production company and co-founder of Diversity School Initiative, a campaign initiative that has addressed under-representation in UK drama schools for over five years.
Steven Kavuma comments, I am thrilled to be joining such an incredible team and organisation. One of the things that attracted me to Seven Dials Playhouse was the endless possibilities that could be achieved here. I cannot wait to continue championing, developing and showcasing marginalised artists from across the UK and internationally.
Kavuma is currently seed-commissioned by National Theatre Wales and has been part of the National Theatre Wales Writers Lab. Recently he was one of the writers of Sky Arts’ innovative television premiere GALWAD, a multiplatform, multilingual story set in our possible future world of 2052. His most recent pair of plays, ANOTHER F***ING PLAY ABOUT RACE and all the conversations we haven’t had yet, were directed by Denzel Westley-Sanderson and staged at ArtsEd.
Kavuma directed Tomorrow Night Live by Lucy Owen and Georgie Wallace that was part of Seven Dials Playhouse’s recent mini season championing new work and upcoming voices. His theatre directing credits also include Romeo and Juliet, a co-production between the Globe Theatre and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo’s Teleportation at Bunker Theatre and Blue/Orange by Joe Penhall at ALRA. As an associate/assistant director, his credits include the UK tour of Holes by Louis Sachar, Still No Idea at Royal Court Theatre and National Theatre and Orange Tree Theatre’s An Octoroon. He has also audio directed Torchwood audio dramas for Big Finish.
Seven Dials Playhouse CEO Amanda Davey comments, We are incredibly excited for Steven to join the team at Seven Dials Playhouse. It has been a rocky road for theatre since emerging from the pandemic and that now coupled with the cost-of-living crisis means that we, like a lot of theatres and people, face a challenging future. Steven’s appointment, however, represents a real step change for Seven Dials Playhouse as we continue to grow and develop as an organisation. Steven’s singular vision, wealth of experience, and creativity will be a huge asset, and I cannot wait for audiences, artists, and creatives to experience and engage with his season in Spring 2023 and beyond.
