Kully Thiarai

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Kully Thiarai
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Born
Smethwick
NationalityEngland
Occupation
  • Artistic
  • Creative director

Kully Thiarai FRSA is an artistic and creative director, whose career began in theatre. With her appointment at National Theatre Wales in 2016, she became the first Asian person, and only second woman, to lead a national theatre company in Britain. She has held multiple artistic directorships, including, from 2020 to 2024, the role of creative director for LEEDS 2023 - the city's independent year of culture.

Early life

Born in Smethwick in the West Midlands, where her father was employed as a steel worker. Thiarai's Indian heritage meant that she was racially abused as a child.[1][2] She initially studied social work at Bradford University,[3][2] but was inspired by performances by Gay Sweatshop and Phoenix Dance at Theatre in the Mill to build a career in theatre.[4]

Career

In 1994 Thiarai was appointed artistic director of Red Ladder Theatre Company, a role she held until 1998.[5][6][3][7] She moved work as artistic director of Contact Theatre in Manchester,[6][8] creating a youth-focussed "artistic vision and operational model" for the organisation.[3]

At Leicester Haymarket Theatre Thiarai was s co-artistic director with Paul Kerryson.[6][8] She continued the work of Vayu Naidu in building programmming that engaged with the city's south Asian audiences.[9] She has used the term 'porous' to describe how to integrate communities practices with more traditional forms of theatre.[10] Productions during her tenure included Bones by Kay Adshead.[11]

In 2013 she was the founding director of Cast in Doncaster,[6][12] where she worked to place the theatre as a "living room" for the town.[2][13][14] One of her most noted productions was an adaptation of Kes by Philip Osment;[15][16] another was the opening show The Glee Club by Richard Cameron, a playwright from Doncaster.[17] Thiarai left Cast in May 2016 to join National Theatre Wales (NTW) as artistic director and CEO.[18][19][20][2][6]

At National Theatre Wales she was the first Asian person, and only second woman, to lead one of the national theatre companies in the United Kingdom.[4][21] Notable productions included: We’re Still Here, about the Tata Steelworks;[2] The Soul Exchange, about Teddy Boys in Butetown, where audiences travelled in taxis as part of the performance;[22][23] During her tenure, NTW was criticised for not doing enough to support Welsh artists, claims Thiarai rebuffed stating during the "history of the company is that almost 80% of all of its work has been led by Welsh artists".[1] Thiarai moved to work as Creative Director of LEEDS 2023 in 2020.[24] On her departure,[25] critic Gary Raymond wrote:

For every criticism aimed at Thiarai from a white middle class theatre practitioner in Wales, she was adored by those she worked with from minority backgrounds, and inspired countless people to work in theatre in Wales who otherwise would never have considered a UK national theatre a space in which to express themselves.

— Gary Raymond, Kully Thiarai departure from NTW | Failure of Wales?, Wales Arts Review

From January 2020 Thiarai was the Creative Director and CEO of LEEDS 2023.[26] Initially proposed as a bid to the host city for European Capital of Culture, post-Brexit exclusion from European Union initiatives meant that Leeds could no longer bid.[27][28] This resulted in Leeds City Council and partners deciding to run an independent year of culture in 2023.[29] Thiarai stated in December 2023 that, through complex programming and community-engaged practice, the year had "put Leeds on the cultural map, nationally and internationally – and I think we can certainly say that that's happened in the way people talk about the city".[30]

In March 2023 she was appointed as the next chair of Paines Plough.[31] In November 2023 she joined the Board of National Theatre of Scotland.[32]

Awards and recognition

  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.[6]
  • Honorary Fellow of the Royal Central School of Speeach and Drama[33]
  • Judge for the BBC World Service's International Radio Play Writing Competition[34]
  • The Stage 100 List (2024)[33]
  • Cultural Icon - Northern Power List (2020)[35]
  • Tonic Award (2018)[36]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Morris, Steven (2018-12-10). "National Theatre Wales to showcase homegrown talent after backlash". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Gardner, Lyn (2017-05-01). "From Tata to the NHS: how Kully Thiarai is making theatre for Wales". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Haydon, Christopher (2019-02-21). The Art of the Artistic Director: Conversations with Leading Practitioners. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1-350-01693-4.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Carter, Imogen; Bromwich, Kathryn (2016-08-28). "What inspires Hans Ulrich Obrist and seven other cultural tastemakers". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  5. ↑ "History". Red Ladder Theatre Company. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 "Kully Thiarai". Centre for Cultural Value. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  7. ↑ Ahad, Nick (2023-12-18). "'Red Ladder shares a lot of my DNA': radical Yorkshire theatre company's new leader Cheryl Martin". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Brown, Mark; correspondent, Mark Brown Arts (2016-01-06). "National Theatre Wales names Kully Thiarai as new artistic director". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  9. ↑ Davis, Geoffrey V.; Fuchs, Anne (2006). Staging New Britain: Aspects of Black and South Asian British Theatre Practice. Peter Lang. pp. 18, 118. ISBN 978-90-5201-042-7.
  10. ↑ Trencsényi, Katalin; Cochrane, Bernadette (2014-04-24). New Dramaturgy: International Perspectives on Theory and Practice. A&C Black. p. 200. ISBN 978-1-4081-7710-5.
  11. ↑ Adshead, Kay (2006-10-03). Bones. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84943-884-1.
  12. ↑ "Doncaster signals its cultural aspirations with new £22m Cast arts". The Independent. 2013-09-06. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  13. ↑ Gardner, Lyn (2016-01-06). "With Kully Thiarai, National Theatre Wales will remain radical and relevant". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  14. ↑ "Doncaster theatre to celebrate a decade of curtain rises". BBC News. 2023-09-06. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  15. ↑ Gardner, Lyn (2014-09-05). "Kes – the right show in the right place?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  16. ↑ Gardner, Lyn (2014-09-10). "Kes review – a bustling production that speaks directly to its audience". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  17. ↑ Brown, Mark (2014-01-01). "Doncaster stages a bold revival of the arts with 'cultural living room'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  18. ↑ "New role for Doncaster's Cast theatre boss". 2024-01-16. Archived from the original on 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  19. ↑ "Theatre boss: 'Something has gone awry'". BBC News. 2018-11-01. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  20. ↑ Price, Karen (2016-01-06). "7 promises new National Theatre Wales boss Kully Thiarai will keep". Wales Online. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  21. ↑ Ledger, Adam J. (2019-04-02). The Director and Directing: Craft, Process and Aesthetic in Contemporary Theatre. Springer. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-137-40767-2.
  22. ↑ Waldram, Hannah (2010-12-07). "Butetown story told from a taxi". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  23. ↑ Waldram, Hannah (2011-01-28). "The Soul Exchange - review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  24. ↑ Review, Wales Arts (2019-06-14). "Kully Thiarai Resigns as Artistic Director of NTW - Wales Arts Review". www.walesartsreview.org. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  25. ↑ Raymond, Gary (2019-06-14). "Kully Thiarai Departure from NTW | Failure of Wales? - Wales Arts Review". www.walesartsreview.org. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  26. ↑ "Arts supremo Kully Thiarai: 'Break the rules! They need breaking'". The Guardian. 2021-10-04. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  27. ↑ "Leeds submits 2023 Capital of Culture bid". BBC News. 2017-10-27. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  28. ↑ "Leeds plans own 'Year of Culture' after European let-down". ArtsProfessional. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  29. ↑ "Homebuyers feel the lure of Leeds, Yorkshire's unofficial 'city of culture'". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  30. ↑ "LEEDS 2023 creative director Kully Thiarai on the challenges, highlights and legacy of the Year of Culture". 2024-01-02. Archived from the original on 2024-01-02. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
  31. ↑ "Kully Thiarai appointed chair of Paines Plough". The Stage. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  32. ↑ "Welcome to two new Board members". National Theatre of Scotland. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 "Graduates and Honorary Fellows feature on 'The Stage 100' list". The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. 2024-01-04. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  34. ↑ "BBC World Service - BBC World Drama - Judges". BBC. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  35. ↑ "Northern Asian Powerlist 2020 winners – Kully Thiarai | TheBusinessDesk.com". North West. 2020-10-19. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  36. ↑ Kathy (2018-03-19). "Tonic Awards 2018 – Tonic Awards – Tonic – For greater equality, diversity and inclusion in the arts". Tonic. Retrieved 2024-01-16.

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