Sound of the Underground

Travis Alabanza is a performer, writer and theatre-maker. In 2016/17 they became the youngest recipient of the artist-in-residence at the Tate workshop programme, starred in Scottee’s theatre production Putting Words in your Mouth at the Roundhouse and the Royal Exchange adaptation of Derek Jarman’s Jubilee, performed in venues such as V&A, Tate, ICA, the Roundhouse and Barbican – and had their work featured in The Guardian, BBC, Huck Magazine and more. Known for increasingly paving much of the UK conversation around trans politics, Alabanza has become a staple of the London queer scene and further afield. Their debut poetry book Before I step Outside (you love me) released in 2017 has been shipped to over 19 countries worldwide and listed as one of the top trans literary books of 2017. Alabanza’s unique mixture of performance, poetry, style, political views and risk-taking performances has taken them across the country, Europe and internationally – working regularly with artists such as Alok Vaid-Menon, Duckie, David Hoyle, Scottee and others. Debbie Hannan develops and directs new work for stage and screen. They are currently Associate Director at National Theatre of Scotland. From January to July 2022, she was Acting Artistic Director of Stockroom, working as Showrunner of their Writers Room. They were Associate Director at the The Bunker Theatre, as well as Incoming Artistic Director of the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, and are represented by Independent Talent. They trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and as Trainee Director at the Royal Court.