From Grace Hatchell’s Satchel: A Standing Ovation for Tomorrow’s Theatrical Trailblazers
Alright my loves, stop what you’re doing – I’ve just had a very exciting delivery from Stage One, and it’s hotter than a quick-change backstage at a panto. They’ve just announced the brand-new cohort for their Bridge the Gap programme for 2025/26, and let me tell you – this lot are proper dazzling.
Now, in case you’ve not heard of it (where have you been, under a fly tower?), Bridge the Gap is Stage One’s bold-as-brass initiative to give a leg up to brilliant producers from underrepresented backgrounds. And it’s not just a weekend workshop with a cup of tea and a biscuit. No – this is a full-on, year-long programme that opens doors, widens stages, and gives people a proper shot at making their mark in commercial theatre. It’s about shaking up the old rulebook and making theatre look more like the brilliant, messy, diverse country we actually live in.
This year’s class? Well, I hope you’ve got a few minutes, because this postie has names to drop:
✨ Anastasiya Yevchenko – bringing powerful Ukrainian voices to the UK stage
✨ Andy Mandoiu – arts wizard, fundraiser, and head of Chaotic Good Theatre (brilliant name, that)
✨ Anousha Karim – just finished a full US tour and now parked up at the Kiln Theatre (as you do)
✨ Ben Quashie – 70+ productions, 8 awards, and nominated for Best Producer at the Black British Theatre Awards
✨ Bobby Harding – producing buzzy shows like Main Character Energy and LUV SHANNON X
✨ Helen Denning – Sheffield-based star and co-founder of Black Bright Theatre Company
✨ Jasmyn Fisher Ryner – ran the Olivier-nominated For Black Boys… and founded her own production company
✨ Kashif Boothe – from viral series Nate & Jamie to award-winning filmmaker and director to watch
✨ Lisa Richardson – from Brooklyn to the West End, now leading outreach with Joy Productions
✨ Raha Mahamoud – co-produced the smash hit Dugsi Dayz and champions Muslim and disabled artists
✨ Suher Sofi – producing telly for the BBC and theatre like Desperate Times at the Pleasance
✨ Syania Shaharuddin – creative force at Nonsuch Studios in the Midlands
✨ Zeynep Gunaydin – with credits from Sadler’s Wells to V&A, she’s done the rounds and done them well
Honestly, it’s enough to make a girl want to drop her satchel and run off to become a producer. These 13 emerging stars are exactly what the theatre world needs right now – people with heart, hustle, and a fresh take on how to make stories sing.
Stage One’s giving them proper support, too. We’re talking monthly workshops, mentors, personal coaching, networking, commercial theatre tickets (yes please), and even a Kick Start Grant of up to five grand to get a new idea on its feet. It’s the full works – none of this “figure it out yourself” nonsense.
And let’s give a curtain call to some of the past graduates while we’re at it – names like Ameena Hamid (Bonnie & Clyde, Why Am I So Single?), Sarah Verghese (For Black Boys…, now at Jamie Lloyd Productions), and Miranda Debenham, newly appointed Executive Producer at Interplay Theatre in Leeds. That’s not a track record – that’s a theatre takeover.
As Joseph Smith, the big boss at Stage One, put it: “The group we’ve chosen all bring a unique set of skills and potential.” Translation? They’re ready to shake things up, and we should all be paying attention.
So here’s to Bridge the Gap – a shining example of how you build a better future for theatre: by investing in brilliant people, lifting up new voices, and refusing to accept that theatre is only for the usual suspects.
From where I’m standing (with a crumpled press release in one hand and a Greggs in the other), it’s not just a gap they’re bridging – it’s a chasm. And this year’s cohort is going to leap it in style.
With glitter and gossip,
Grace Hatchell
Courier of culture, queen of the queue, and your favourite Theatre Village postie 🎭📮
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