1999 — 2026
Political theatre · Mixed media · Made by women

Women are not free anywhere in this world until all women in the world are free. — Leymah Gbowee

Founded
1999, London. An award-winning, woman-led performing arts company creating work that responds to world political issues from a female viewpoint.
Repertoire
The Singing Stones · Theatre of Protest · Bones · Boys Talking · Five Crimes Reconstructed · If Anyone Recognises These Young People · Lady Chill, Lady Wad, Lady Lurve, Lady God.
International
Translated and produced in French and Spanish. Editions published by Oberon Books, London.
  • Theatre
  • Film
  • Installations
  • Workshops
  • Print
What we do

A multi-award-winning woman-led performing arts company

We spotlight neglected human rights issues, creating live art, film, digital art installations, workshops and print.

Mama Quilla was founded by Kay Adshead and the late Lucinda Gane in 1999 to offer a female perspective on the big issues of the day.  It also recognises and seeks to combat the waste of resources and talent in female theatre practitioners over the age of 40.

Our first three major theatre productions, The Bogus Woman, Bites, and Bones were all performed at the Bush Theatre and published by OberonBooks. All were subsequently produced internationally, The Bogus Woman (LaFemme Fantôme) and Bones (Bones (Les Os)) by La Compagnie Yorick and Bites(Morsi/Bisse) by Teatrificio.

Recent film projects include Stormy—The Opera which was a finalist in the 57-year-old WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, an award winner at WRPN (Women’s International Film Festival) and Winner of the Kudos Award 2023 at the Depth of Field International Film Festival.

Pangolia won Best Experimental in the WRPN (Women’sInternational Film Festival), the Depth of Field International Film Festival, and the Madrid Arthouse Film Festival, and Best Covid 19 film in the Mars InternationalFilm Festival.

Actors who have collaborated with Mama Quilla include Noma Dumezweni, Sarah Niles, Ishia Bennison, Karena Fernandez, Chris Jarman, PaulineMoran, Cleo Sylvestre, Josey Welcome, Tina Gray, Deni Francis, Bella Aubin, Tara Hugo, Gerda Stevenson and Yusra Warsama.

Writers include

Read more about us →
Past · 2015

The Singing Stones

A triad of new plays inspired by the now-deleted blog posts of women protesting in Tahrir Square, and on the front lines of Tunisia and Kurdistan. Voices briefly celebrated, then ignored, denied and forgotten since the revolution.

Writer Kay Adshead
Director Kay Adshead
Producer Mama Quilla Productions
Venue Arcola Theatre, London
Read more →

Selected work

14 productions · 1999 — 2026 · London & international
  1. 01
    2015
    The Singing Stones
    Arcola Theatre, London
    productionsMixed mediaTriad of plays
    →
  2. 02
    2012
    Theatre of Protest
    The Roundhouse, London
    productionsPlatform eventMixed media
    →
  3. 03
    2007
    Bones
    Haymarket Theatre, Leicester / Bush Theatre, London
    productionsInternationalPublished
    →
  4. 04
    2007
    Boys Talking
    The Broadway Theatre, Barking
    productionsEducationBarking College
    →
  5. 05
    2007
    Five Crimes Reconstructed
    The Broadway Theatre, Barking
    productionsEducationBarking College
    →
View the complete archive →
In the community

Voices that are rarely heard.

Since the company’s earliest days, Mama Quilla has built a creative practice deeply rooted in community work — site-specific theatre and workshop performance that celebrates marginalised voices and explores their experience.

A long creative relationship with the Crossroads Women’s Centre, working alongside Women Against Rape (WAR), Legal Action for Women (LAW) and the All African Women’s Group, has informed many of the company’s most enduring productions and platform events.

“Mama Quilla has built its reputation tackling issues deemed thorny. In so doing, it has become an invaluable resource providing a voice for those who are rarely heard.” Cari Mitchell  /  Crossroads Women's Centre
Initiative

Rapid-response theatre, mixed-media.

Launched in April 2011 by Kay Adshead and former students of the City Lit, the Mama Quilla Initiative operates as a pod inside the company — creating rapid-response theatre, original innovative mixed-media performance responding to the times and provoking debate.

Twitter / X ↗Initiative blog ↗
In education

Two epic productions a year.

Since 2007, Mama Quilla has worked in partnership with Barking College of Performing Arts, devising original epic productions from young people’s own experiences. Two productions a year, involving more than 50 students each, performed at The Broadway Theatre, Barking.

View education productions →
Awards
  • Fringe First
  • Manchester Evening News Best Fringe Performer
  • Adelaide Best Play of Fringe
  • Adelaide Fringe Sensation
  • Susan Smith Blackburn finalist (×2)
  • EMMA
In the press  /  selected notices, 2000 — 2015
“Powerful, passionate, committed piece of theatre that if seen widely enough may change hearts and minds.” The Guardian · on The Bogus Woman
“Political theatre is alive again.” Evening Standard
“This is political theatre at its best.” Scotland on Sunday
“A magnificent fantastical roar against a world in which half the population is excluded, ignored, derided, mistreated.” One World · on The Singing Stones