Chawawa fell in love with the theatre when he went to see The Lion King when he was 16 and realised it was like “the best movie you’ve ever seen, but in real life”.
However, returning as an adult, he felt out of place as a black man. “In the shows I was going to, it didn’t feel as though they were too welcoming to me being there, just through the small social cues.”
He had a lightbulb moment after watching For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy by Ryan Calais Cameron, which “I still think is the best play I’ve ever seen”. Chawawa found himself thinking, “I wish every black boy in the world could watch this play.”
So he took a group of teenagers to watch it, which he describes as “the most fulfilling and magical and deeply moving experience”.
Inspired by their reactions, Chawawa set up the Black Boys Theatre Club to take groups every month to plays ranging from Dracula to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – followed by a post-show discussion in Nando’s.
“Every time we go and see a play, it’s not about the boys skipping out of it going, ‘I want to be the next Billy Elliot’,” he says. “It’s more just them realising it’s a safe space for you. It can be your home if you want it to be. You will thrive on stage or as an audience member, but just know that theatre is a part of your multiverse.”
