Jatinder Verma, MBE (born 1954), is a British theatre director and activist, who in 1977 co-founded the British Asian theatre company Tara Arts, leading it as artistic director.[1][2]
Biography
Born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, he moved with his family to Britain as a 14-year-old in February 1968.[1][3] He attended York University and Sussex University. Verma was one of the co-founders of Tara Arts, a British Asian theatre company that was created in response to the racial tensions in Britain in the late 1970s. Verma directed Tara's very first production (an adaptation of a Tagore play) at Battersea Arts Centre in August 1977. Later on, Tara Arts got its own theatre on Garratt Lane, Earlsfield in South London.[4]
Regarded as one of the pioneers of British Asian theatre, Verma has received numerous honours, including an MBE for his services to the arts in the 2017 New Year Honours.[4][1][5]
Verma led Tara Arts as Artistic Director since inception before stepping down after 43 years. He had initiated, and managed the project through to its completion in 2016, a total rebuilding of Tara Theatre, its headquarters. It included using the yellow bricks from the original building, now a distinct, warm, welcoming feature of its new auditorium, foyer and exterior.
References
- ^ a b c Bosanquet, Theo (15 January 2020), "Big Interviews: Jatinder Verma", The Stage.
- ^ "Founder of Tara Arts, Jatinder Verma MBE, is to Step Down as Artistic Director", Theatre Weekly, 19 November 2019.
- ^ Dowd, Vincent (7 January 2020), "Theatre pioneer Jatinder Verma: 'I was simply not wanted'", BBC News.
- ^ a b "Meeting the team: Jatinder Verma Consultant Artistic Director", Tara Arts.
- ^ "Mayor's Roll of Honour 2017", Wandsworth.gov.uk.