Steven Kavuma

Hello! I’m Steven. I am a Ugandan-born, Welsh-raised (Swansea!!) writer and director who loves making bold work, championing artists and creating spaces where people feel they belong. I was incredibly honoured to be named one of The Stage's 100 most influential people in theatre.

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In the day, I lead the BA Acting and Performance course at the University of the Arts London, Wimbledon, where I get to work with the next generation of actors. Alongside that, I'm still writing, directing and making work across theatre, television and radio.

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My plays have landed on prestigious stages (Barbican Centre, Royal Court Theatre, National Theatre Wales, the Globe) and caught the attention of major award bodies. ANOTHER F***ING PLAY ABOUT RACE (developed by  Trafalgar Theatre and Barbican Centre) earned long-list nods from the Bruntwood Prize and Mustapha Matura Award, while TODDUKA (commissioned by National Theatre Wales) was long-listed for Best New Play for the Alfred Fagon Award. I have also directed across Big Finish's DOCTOR WHO and TORCHWOOD productions, and was a writer on GALWAD, Sky Arts' multilingual TV premiere.

As a director, my work includes THE ENGLISH MOOR at the Globe Theatre, TOMORROW NIGHT LIVE at Seven Dials Playhouse, and ROMEO AND JULIET at the Globe Theatre / Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. TELEPORTATION by Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo at The Bunker Theatre. My audio drama credits include DOCTOR WHO and TORCHWOOD working with Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill, Indira Verma, and Sophie Aldred. I've also been an associate director at the Royal Court, the National Theatre and Royal & Derngate.​

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Before Wimbledon I was Head of Programming at Seven Dials Playhouse and Course Leader at ArtsEd.

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Beyond making work, I'm passionate about opening doors for artists. I'm Chair of LOYALTY, patron of Angel Shed, and co-founded the Diversity School Initiative, a five-year campaign tackling under-representation in UK drama schools. I also co-founded Uproot Productions, a Black-led theatre company using the arts to spark conversation and social change.

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Whether I'm directing, teaching, writing or producing, I'm always looking for stories that challenge, connect and bring people together.