Ahead of our landmark production Nanny of the Maroons and in celebration of International Women’s Month, this event brings together Black women artists, thinkers, and leaders to redefine leadership, culture, and community through a live panel inspired by the legacy of Queen Nanny.
Join us as we honour legacy, share lived experiences but most importantly begin to conversate about how we dream, create, and build futures together.
Meet the panellists:
Host: Sandra Griffiths – Red Earth Collective
Sandra Griffiths is the Founder and CEO of The Red Earth Collective, a Black-led arts organisation based in Birmingham that uses creative practice to challenge mental health stigma and discrimination in racialised and marginalised communities. Through theatre, music, film, spoken word and community-led events, Sandra’s work stimulates dialogue, supports wellbeing, and gives voice to people with lived experience of mental health issues.
Guest Panellist: Lavinya Stennett – CEO and Founder of The Black Curriculum
Lavinya is a writer, activist, and Founder and CEO of social enterprise The Black Curriculum.
The Black Curriculum was founded in 2019 and works to teach and support the teaching of Black history all year round, aiming to empower all students with a sense of identity and belonging and campaigning to bring about permanent change to the national curriculum ensuring it is truly inclusive. Lavinya has been named as one of the Sunday Times 50 Women of the Year, was awarded Trailblazer of The Year by Hello Magazine and featured in Vogue, and GQ for her activism.
Guest Panellist: Nissy Tee – Founder of Powerclass Masterclass
Nissy Tee is an award-winning content creator, speaker, presenter, and digital strategist, as well as a Cambridge graduate. She began her media career at 15 and has since built a community of over 140,000 followers, with more than 4 million lifetime YouTube views. She is the founder of Powerclass Masterclass, a transformative platform dedicated to helping women reclaim their power to live boldly, confidently, and unapologetically unstoppable. Powerclass has already impacted over 400 women, supporting Nissy’s mission to ensure every woman remembers who she has always
been. Nissy has worked with major brands including the BBC, Amazon, Coca-Cola, and Dell, and runs her social media and branding agency, NT Media.
Guest Panellist: Chinonyerem Odimba – CEO of tiata fahodzi
Chinonyerem Odimba is a Nigerian-born British playwright, librettist, screenwriter and director, and Artistic Director and CEO of tiata fahodzi, a leading British African heritage theatre company. Her work spans stage, television and radio, with writing credits including the Young Vic, RSC/Coventry City of Culture 2021, BBC, Channel 4 and CBBC. She is currently under commission from the RSC and Orange Tree Theatre. Her awards include the 2018 Sonia Friedman Award and the 2022 Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Musical Bookwriting for Black Love, and she has been shortlisted for the Bruntwood, Alfred Fagon and Women’s Playwriting prizes.
Alongside her writing, Chinonyerem works as a director and dramaturg, with productions at venues including Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Kiln Theatre, Bristol Old Vic and Theatre Royal Stratford East. Her recent work includes directing the UK tour of cheeky little brown and adapting Ben Okri’s Every Leaf a Hallelujah. A multidisciplinary artist, she has also collaborated on innovative projects exploring AI and projection mapping, and is a former Chair of Theatre Bristol and Trustee of Bristol Old Vic.