Key details
Ola Animashawun
Visiting Professor of Dramaturgy
Ola Animashawun is a National Theatre Associate and Connections Dramaturg and the co-founder and Creative Director of the playwriting consultancy, Euphoric Ink. He is also a former Associate Director of the Royal Court Theatre, where he worked for 23 years, during which time he founded and ran the Royal Court Young Writers Programme, and set up a nationwide writers’ programme – Critical Mass – which is dedicated to finding and nurturing new playwrights from the Global Majority.
Ola has worked in theatre for over 30 years, with 20 of those years dedicated to specialising in script development as a dramaturg and facilitator. He has also held positions as an Associate Artist, Dramaturg and Mentor for Belgrade Theatre, Cheltenham Everyman Theatre, Theatre Absolute, Shop Front Theatre, and Eclipse Theatre.
His other skills include, acting, directing, devising, writing and presenting.
He is a patron of Graeae Theatre and Script Yorkshire and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. He is also an Alfred Fagon Black Champion of Theatre.
Responsibilities within the university
Ola is Visiting Professor of Dramaturgy within the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Recognition
Ola is a patron of Graeae Theatre and Script Yorkshire and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. He is also an Alfred Fagon Black Champion of Theatre.
Research / Scholarly interests
Ola has worked in theatre for over 30 years, with 20 of those years dedicated to specialising in script development as a dramaturg and facilitator. He has also held positions as an Associate Artist, Dramaturg and Mentor for Belgrade Theatre, Cheltenham Everyman Theatre, Theatre Absolute, Shop Front Theatre, and Eclipse Theatre.
His other skills include, acting, directing, devising, writing and presenting.
Recent publications
Exploring the Black Plays Archive with Winsome Pinnock and Ola Animashawun (online mini-series).