Co-director Tatenda Shamiso talks resonance and empathy as the Bristol Old Vic a capella production arrives in east London, refreshed and ready
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“Choir Boy absolutely resonates with me,” said Tatenda Shamiso, co-director of the show that’s set to arrive on Stratford East’s stage later this month.
“I grew up in the US, in a Catholic school and I’m queer.
“To be a queer person in a rigid and hyper-traditional religious environment makes it very difficult to discover who you are when you’re discouraged at every turn.
“The show dates from 2008, but it gets updated every time it’s remounted and it feels all the more pressing at the moment, even from when we revived it in 2023.
“It can be hard to be black and queer in an environment that tries to force-feed you the idea that there is no space for you.”
This iteration of Choir Boy – written by Tarell Alvin McCraney – was first created by director Nancy Medina at the Bristol Old Vic and is now effectively set to transfer to east London with only a couple of changes in the cast.
Tatenda’s role has grown from associate director to co-director for the new show.
He frequently runs the rehearsals, with Nancy typically in the West Country as the production is updated for its run in the capital.
a struggle to access softness
“Choir Boy is about an all-boys black preparatory school in upstate New York in the US,” said Tatenda.
“These boys are under immense pressure to understand what it means to be the black leaders of tomorrow – the black men of the future – and to hold onto the labels and duties we associate with masculinity and black excellence.
“It’s a struggle to access any softness in this environment and to identify how to step into your real self when there isn’t any room for it.”
The show follows the story of Pharus (Terique Jarrett), a gifted singer who has earned his position as a soloist, but falters when his pride is sullied by one of his peers, forcing him to question what it means to be a young, black, openly queer man in such an institution.
“We’re taken on this journey with a really beautiful score of a capella gospel music, sung by the boys,” said Tatenda.
“Choir Boy is hilarious – definitely expect to laugh – but it’s also deeply joyful and cathartic.
“Whether you believe in something or not, the spirit will move through you when you hear these boys sing. It’s beautiful and very tender.
“One of the big changes we’ve had is two new cast members – Rabi Kondé playing Bobby and Freddie MacBruce as AJ – which has given us a really great opportunity to refresh the whole show.
“We have a star-studded team in the cast and backstage and it’s still very much a family affair.
“It’s really great to bring fresh talent into the piece.
“One of our former cast members said that while he was sad to leave, he was really happy to pass the gift of being able to play the role on to someone else who needs it.
“In Bristol, we had five weeks to prepare the show for the stage and this extra time has given us an opportunity to maybe deepen our thoughts.
“With the cast a couple of years older now, we’re asking what it means to be a teenager right now?
“I hope we’re offering audiences a cornucopia of things to take away.
“I hope they leave with greater empathy and compassion for the people they’ve been watching and those around them, perhaps a softness and a strong urge to sing.”
echoes of Choir Boy
As a director, writer, performer and artist, Tatenda’s own theatrical journey began at school.
He said: “Children’s hobbies are taken ridiculously seriously in California and I started off as a performer in musicals.
“I was doing about three shows a year for most of my time in school. I was a really shy child, but there was something about being a performer, being something bigger than yourself, that really appealed to me.
“You can enrapture an audience and take them on a journey.
“For me it was like a mission to learn how to be an extrovert, which was really lovely.
“It got me out of my shell and introduced me to a beautiful community of people who were as strange as I was, which was a very joyful experience.
“That’s the core theme, whatever I’m doing, which keeps me in theatre now.
“It’s the ritual of transformation you go through as a company, but also what you’re bringing to those who are watching.”
from performer to writer and director
After moving to Europe as a teenager, Tatenda’s path began to broaden while at university.
“I fell in love with directing while I was training at Goldsmith’s,” he said.
“When I wasn’t on stage, I spent the time figuring out what everyone else was supposed to be doing, so I ended up doing a lot of different tasks.
“I turned that into a career as a writer. As far as directing goes, I started off as an assistant director on other shows, then directing my own work and performing it at fringe venues.
“My first big show was assisting on A Streetcar Named Desire, back in 2022 at the Almeida Theatre, before going on to work on productions in the States and getting the chance to contribute to Choir Boy.
“I’ve developed a really beautiful working relationship with Nancy and a friendship too. She’s such a generous collaborator.
“I’ve been really moved by this show.
“It’s quite rare in this role to see yourself in what you’re making and what’s being put on stage.
“It feels incredible when you see a message being communicated so beautifully by this cast.
“Every creative steer you give them, they multiply it ten-fold with their bodies, their spirit, their minds and their voices.
“What they bring to these characters, these experiences, is almost overwhelming.
“One of the amazing things about seeing live theatre is that you get to have a collective experience, that the audience is going to be roughly in the same place emotionally as they watch.
“That’s something you don’t get in the digital world and I do think people are hungry for that kind of connection.”
key details: Choir Boy
Choir Boy is set to run at Stratford East from March 26 until April 25, 2026.
Performances are typically at 7.30pm with shows at 2.30pm on selected Thursdays and Saturdays. Tickets start at £10.
Find out more about the show here
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