Suffolk-based theatre company announces new artistic director

HighTide has announced that TITILOLA DAWUDU will join the company as artistic director and CEO, taking up post in June.

She replaces CLARE SLATER, who announced her departure after just under three years leading the Suffolk-based new writing company in March to become head of play development at the National Theatre.

Dawudu was recently associate dramaturg at Bush Theatre, where she led the literary department. As a writer, her work has been staged at venues including Theatre Peckham, Soho Theatre and Theatre Royal Arojah in Abuja, Nigeria.

Her career has also included roles as head of operations and development at Croydon’s youth-based charity Reaching Higher, programme manager for young people and youthfulness at Coventry City of Culture Trust and researcher for GMTV.

She is interim chair of Beyond Face and a trustee of the National Student Drama Festival and Theatre Centre.

Dawudu said she was “excited” to join an organisation “deeply committed to new writing and regional storytelling.”

“I’m passionate about championing different voices, creating opportunities, and fostering spaces where artists and communities feel truly seen and heard,” she added.

ALAN BOOKBINDER, chair of HighTide, said Dawudu brings “a wealth of experience working with new writers and unearthing new talent, especially in under-represented groups”.

“Her dynamism and her creative energy, as well as her winning personality, will ensure an exciting step forward in HighTide’s mission to nurture the next generation of successful playwrights.”

HAZEL EDWARDS, south east area director for Arts Council England, added: “Titilola’s inspiring track record of creative leadership, community engagement, and advocacy for equity in the arts promises a bold and inclusive future for the company.”