Keynote Speech

As part of the Fresh Ink tradition, Hull welcomes Ola Animashawun for a keynote speech about the future of new writing. 

Ola Animashawun joined the National Theatre in 2018 as Connections Dramaturg, and in 2020 incorporated the role of National Theatre Associate into his duties during Rufus Norris' artistic leadership. 

He sits in the New Work and Learning departments, contributing to the generation of titles, projects and decision making across NT programming, as well as commissioning and providing dramaturgical support to the 10 new Connections titles each year.  

Before joining the NT Ola was an Associate Director at 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 – with the sole commitment of 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. 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.