Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini

Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini, one of British theater’s most exciting voices, launched on the scene with their debut play Muscovado (2014). Set on a 19th-century sugar plantation in Barbados, Ibini’s play is both a haunting portrayal of the brutality of slavery, and a nuanced counternarrative of Black love and friendship amidst the violence. A self-described “bionic, queer playwright,” Ibini centers stories from the margins, including from queer and disabled people, and brings them to life with their signature magical realist splendor. Their follow-up play, Little Miss Burden (2019), explores what it takes to rewrite one’s narrative and shares the often funny truths about growing up with a physical impairment. Ibini’s inspiration—everything from their Nigerian heritage to the ’90s anime Sailor Moon—is channeled into a fresh perspective on race and power. Their Olivier Award-winning play Sleepova (2023) is a love letter to Black girls and takes as its setting a sleepover between four friends. These plays highlight Ibini’s incredible range for writing complex, political, and visionary stories. Ibini is the recipient of the Inevitable Foundation x Loreen Arbus Elevate Collective Award (2024), a Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright (2023), and an Alfred Fagon Audience Award (2015), among other honors. They have written across a variety of mediums including children’s books, for the screen, and audio dramas for BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, and Audible. Ibini lives in East London.