The London Theatre Consortium (LTC), in partnership with the MOBO organisation, have appointed a fourth cohort of five LTC MOBO Executive Fellows to address the lack of diversity at executive level in UK theatre buildings. The Fellows began in February 2023 for an attachment of up to a year. 

The recipients are: Alisha Artry, a Creative Producer and Co-Founder of Sculptress; Ama Ofori-Darko, an arts fundraiser, Young Trustee at the Contemporary Arts Society, and a Trainee Trustee at Spitalfields Music; Ameena Hamid, a Creative Producer, General Manager, Festival Curator and Facilitator; Pooja Sitpura, Creative Careers Partner at the National Theatre and Board members of Youth Realities and Theatre Uncut; and Wofai Je, a Creative Producer, Casting Director and interim General Manager at Gate Theatre.

The fellows will work alongside LTC Executive Directors, getting access to and demystifying the Executive leadership of these 11 theatres. The aim of the LTC MOBO Fellowships is to increase the capacity for diversity in the leadership pool, by supporting mid-career leaders and offering them mentoring, shadowing, access and skill sessions to help provide pathways to break through into Executive leadership. 

Previous recipients of the executive fellowships include Rachel Brogan, Raidene Carter, Annette Corbett, Jessica Draper, Daniel Kok, Nicholai La Barrie, Nisha Modhwadia and Keisha Thompson. 

Commenting on the initiative Eleanor Lang, Executive Director of Theatre Royal Stratford East and Chair of LTC said “ensuring a dynamic succession pool for theatre leadership is vital for the future success of the sector. All of the LTC theatres are committed to working together to create opportunities and make change happen. We are delighted to appoint a further five Fellows to work with us over the coming year.”

MOBO Founder Kanya King CBE, said “We are delighted to welcome the new cohort of fellows to the MOBO LTC Fellowship programme, which is part of MOBO via its MOBOLISE platform’s ongoing mission to motivate, elevate and celebrate today´s creative talent and future leaders and support a richly inclusive leadership pipeline in every creative sector. It is rewarding to see the evolution of our partnership with the LTC, supporting and providing more opportunities to underrepresented talent to advance their careers. I´m really looking forward to seeing the change and positive impact this year´s cohort will go on to make in the leadership pool.”

ENDS
For more information please contact: cwidyaltc@gmail.com

Note to Editors: 

Image link here - From L-R, Alisha Artry, Ama Biriwaa Ofori-Darko, Ameena Hamid, Wofai Je. Missing: Pooja Sitpura. Photographer: Ines Yearwood-Sanchez. 

London Theatre Consortium (LTC) is a collaboration of 11 producing theatres working together on large-scale strategic projects that are beyond the capacity of one or two organisations to deliver. We run projects in several priority areas including environmental sustainability and workforce development. The LTC is Almeida Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, Bush Theatre, Kiln Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, Soho Theatre, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Unicorn Theatre, the Yard Theatre and Young Vic. 

About MOBO:  Since 1996, the MOBO Group has discovered and supported talent in music, film and TV. MOBO operates 365 days a year to create events, content, partnerships and opportunities for young people in the entertainment industries and beyond. For over 25 years, the iconic MOBO Awards has remained a significant cultural event in the British music industry, celebrating excellence in Black music. Its enduring legacy as the premier outlet for recognising and honouring the artistic achievements of exceptional British and international talent in Hip-Hop, Grime, R&B and Soul, Reggae, Jazz, Gospel and African music has been unparalleled. 
 
Global superstars who have been part of the Awards include a.o. Janet Jackson, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Sade, Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick, Beyoncé, Jay Z, Diddy, Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse, Usher, Rihanna, Cardi B and Davido. The Awards has proudly been hosted all over the United Kingdom over the years with shows in London, Liverpool, Leeds, Glasgow and Coventry, the UK’s City of Culture in 2021. 
 
Beyond the Awards, MOBO supports undiscovered talent in music via MOBO UnSung, its annual talent competition & artist development programme. Across the wider creative and tech industries, MOBO supports and connects career opportunities for black talent via MOBOLISE, a platform to empower diversity, excellence and transformation in the workplace.

The MOBO Group is currently recruiting for a COO, Business Development & Partnership Manager and Social Media Manager. Please email careers@mobolise.org for Job Description and to follow up with CV and covering letter.

Fellows’ Biographies

Alisha Artry is a Creative Producer from South London, mostly interested in making work that is radical, fun and centres the community it serves. She has worked in Participation at the Lyric Hammersmith, Frantic Assembly and is currently the Neighbourhood Theatre Producer in the Taking Part department at the Young Vic. Alisha is the Co-Founder of the producing company Sculptress working with talent to cultivate new and exciting stories to share with audiences.

Ama Ofori-Darko is a British-born Ghanaian with over 5 years’ experience as an arts fundraiser working across income streams. Previous roles include Fundraising Manager at the Royal Opera House, Fundraising Manager at the Kiln Theatre, Development Office at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Development Officer at Donmar Warehouse. She was the first Williams Fundraising Fellow at Tate Gallery which launched her fundraising career. The position was created in memory of Becky Williams who was Head of Development at Tate until 2016. Offering structured work-based learning opportunities to support career development and to open up opportunities for working in the fundraising sector.

Ama is incredibly passionate about the arts and fundraising for schemes that allow young people to experience and create art in all its forms. Ama is a Young Trustee at the Contemporary Arts Society, a Trainee Trustee at Spitalfields Music, and through her position at Tate she is also a Creative Access Alumni.

Ameena Hamid is London based creative producer, general manager, festival curator and facilitator. She runs Ameena Hamid Productions and co-founded HD General Management with Grace Dickson. She was named Best Producer at the Black British Theatre Awards 2022 for her work as a Producer on the Wiz with Hope Mill Theatre Manchester. Ameena was one of The Stage 25 2022, and one of The Stage 100 in 2023

She worked as Theatre Producer at Soho Theatre and is on the Board of the League of Independent Producers. Ameena is supported by the Stage One Bursary scheme, having been part of their Bridge the Gap Programme. Ameena was an EdFringe and British Council Emerging Producer in 2019 and part of the Creative Freelances Shaping London’s Recovery Advisory Group.

Producer Credits include: Invisible (59E59TH), The Wiz (Hope Mill Theatre), Shedding A Skin (on behalf of Soho Theatre), The Producers (No, Not That One) (Pleasance Theatre), Graduates at Cadogan Hall, Eating Myself (Applecart Arts and FAE Lima, Peru), Killing It and Since U Been Gone (VAULT Festival)

Producer Credits (Audio & Podcast): Tales From The Tombstone Tavern (Podcast), Fizzy Sherbet (Podcast), Right Ho, Jeeves! (Podcast)

Co Producer credits include: Bonnie & Clyde (Garrick Theatre), Dick Whittington (Phoenix Theatre)

Associate Producer, General Management and Assistant Producer credits include: Death Drop (Criterion Theatre), Wonderville Magic and Illusion (Palace Theatre), Death Drop (Garrick Theatre), The Show Must Go on Live (Palace Theatre), Producing Assistant (Nuffield Southampton Theatres

Website: www.ameenahamidproductions.com

Pooja Sitpura is of Gujarati heritage, born and raised in the North West of England, she has lived in the north and the midlands before settling in London in 2015. Pooja means prayer and/or religious ceremony. Pooja is currently the Creative Careers Partner at the National Theatre, over 15 years she has built a portfolio career and her practice is underpinned by a Master's in Applied Theatre from Goldsmiths University.

As an artist and facilitator working in a D/deaf & disabled, young people’s, women's and intergenerational context, she has developed projects with Magic Me, Theatre Royal Stratford East, The Yard Theatre and Croydon Music and Arts. Committed to widening participation and equity, she has worked as the Participation Producer for both Talawa Theatre Company and Kinetika Bloco.

In 2021 Pooja successfully applied for an R&D grant from Arts Council England to explore an interdisciplinary commissioning platform with, and for, women of the diaspora. She is considering the next phase of this project, interrogating the economic model which has focussed on extraction, production and consumption over regeneration, collective re-imagination and sustainability.

Pooja is a Sound Connections Associate and board member of Youth Realities, a youth-led charity based in Barnet, addressing teenage relationship abuse through creative education and specialist, survivor-centred support. She has also recently joined the board of Theatre Uncut.

Creative Producer, Casting Director and established model, Wofai Je specialises in visuals and aesthetics, stemming from his fashion background. With a focus on executive acumen, EDI, bid writing and script dissection, he is passionate about interdisciplinary projects that push boundaries and challenge societal norms. One half of award-winning arts organisation Initiative.dkf (Albany Artists of Change 2021, Tamasha Associate Artists 2019-20, Talawa MAKE: Sustain Artists 2017-18); he was hand-picked for the YV Springboard scheme after taking part in the Introduction to Directing Programs (2016). He is currently Interim GM at Gate Theatre and a member of Stage ONE Producers programme

Working across theatre, short film and events, credits include: Casting & Creative Associate on Bootycandy (Gate Theatre, 2023); An Ode To short film screening (RichMix, 2022); Dear Elizabeth (Theatro Technis, 2021); Is Dat U Yh? (GDIF, 2021); LUDALA Collection short films (EdFringe Digital, 2021); Eclipse Award winning piece Fragments Of A Complicated Mind (Theatre503, 2020); national tour of outdoor piece Scalped (Brighton Festival; GDIF; SIRF, 2019), Melanin Box Festival (2018/2015); Associate Producer on Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu’sSweet Like Chocolate, Boy (Brockley Jack, 2018); VAULT Festival (2017); short film From Behind Us (UpShot #50Uprise) et al