Brixton House unveils playwright bursary to commemorate life of Biyi Bándélé
Brixton House will honour the life and work of Nigerian-born playwright Biyi Bándélé with a bursary for writers from the African diaspora.
The Biyi Bándélé Bursary Fund is to provide financial support as well as mentorship, and is announced as part of Brixton House’s third-anniversary celebrations.
Launched with the help of the family of the late playwright and novelist, the fund is to support at least three writers annually, with the first cohort to receive a bursary starting from £2,000.
Applications will open this summer, with the first recipients selected for 2026.
The birthday announcements include revealing the south London venue’s latest season of work and formalising its relationship with two associate companies.
To mark three years since the former Ovalhouse Theatre opened its purpose-built theatre under the new Brixton House banner, the theatre has programmed seven shows including a new musical.
Black Power Desk, presented by Brixton House and PlayWell Productions in association with Birmingham Hippodrome and the Lowry, will receive its world premiere at the theatre this autumn, running from September 1 to 28.
Written by Urielle Klein-Mekongo, Renell Shaw and Gerel Falconer, the show is inspired by the story of a group of British Black activists, the Mangrove Nine, and features an original score that will be performed by a live band.
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Other season highlights include Sophia Leonie’s Millennium Girls, which follows three young female friends growing up to the soundtrack of UK garage music and plays from May 12 to 31, as well as a collaboration with Tamasha, in the form of STARS: An Afrofuturist Space Odyssey, written by Mojisola Adebayo.
In addition, Brixton House is to welcome its new team of associate companies – beginning with Trybe House and CASA, an organisation devoted to sharing stories from the Latin community.
Executive creative producer Ruth Hawkins said: "Our third year marks the announcement of an incredible new season, as we commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Brixton uprising with a collective of emerging artists and honorary Ovalhouse alumni."
Hawkins promised Black Power Desk to be the venue’s "biggest show yet", and said it would "place the Black British female narrative front and centre".
She added: "We are also incredibly proud, alongside the family of the late Biyi Bándélé, to be launching the Biyi Bándélé Bursary Fund, which will provide African diaspora writers with a small bursary and mentorship."
Hawkins concluded: "It is an exciting time for Brixton House, as we remain committed to developing and celebrating artists, our community and new work."
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