Theatre Peckham has announced its first Young, Gifted & Black (YGB) playwright programme in honour of the late Alex Wheatle this October.
The Alex Wheatle Witness Writing Project joins the eighth annual YGB season for the first time, and welcomes 10 black playwrights to develop their artistry as part of a month-long celebration of young, black, British brilliance.
The project honours the multi-award-winning London-based author Alex Wheatle, who died from prostate cancer in March 2025, and comes as part of the theatre’s Black History Month events.
Participant Suanu Uyai Uko, 25, said: “I’m joining this project because I have so much to say and I want to be deeply heard and understood.”
Sky Caesar, 26, added: “It affirmed for me that there is a pathway for me as a creative, that I am seen.”
Kabira Imona, 28, said: “I’m excited to bring this play to a room of collaborators whose ideas can breathe more life into it.
“I’m thrilled to experiment, play with the work and receive feedback.
“I can’t wait to discover what the work can become.”
Before his death, Wheatle first collaborated with Theatre Peckham in 2025, putting on a production of his short read book Witness during the Peckham Fringe Festival.
Theatre Peckham’s CEO and artistic director, Dr Suzann McLean, said: “We all live in the world together and I think it’s important for everyone to have an equal voice.
“Everyone has a story to tell, an experience, a perspective and I think that we can grow so much as people by improving our understanding of each other.
“The more interesting and different people you have connecting with each other, the greater the learning will naturally be.”
She first worked with Wheatle during the 2025 Peckham Fringe Festival.
She added: “Sometimes you can feel like writing is a very lonely experience, but when you’re part of a programme, it just feels like you’ve got more of a support mechanism around you.”
This month, Theatre Peckham has partnered with Manchester Metropolitan University and Words of Colour, who both worked closely with Wheatle, to create an opportunity for black playwrights.
McLean said: “These young people are leaning on the legacy of all those who have come before them.
“It’s about championing those who have come through that rich history, and the stories, voices and impact they want to share now.
“Theatre Peckham was set up on the premise that the arts is not for the privileged few and that’s certainly what we continue to uphold in everything that we do today.”
The Alex Wheatle Witness Writing Project is part of the theatre’s wider Black History Month celebrations, with poetry, plays, spoken word and other workshops that encourage diversity and development also being hosted during their YGB season.
Participants will share parts of their plays written throughout the project in a showcase at Theatre Peckham on 17 October. For more information visit theatrepeckham.ticketsolve.com
[Feature Image Credit: Theatre Peckham]
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