Tatendo Shamiso (born November 1999) is an American theatre performer, director, and writer based in London, England. He was the winner of the 2023 Standard Theatre Award for Emerging Talent as writer and performer of the one-man play No I.D., staged at the Royal Court Theatre, which was inspired by his personal experience as a transgender man.
Early life and education Shamiso was born in California in the United States to a Zimbabwean mother and a Belgian father. He attended a Catholic school during his childhood.
Shamiso moved to Switzerland and eventually to London in the United Kingdom to study for a BA in Acting and Performance Making at Goldsmiths, University of London. Career Shamiso has directed and co-directed theatre productions at the Bristol Old Vic and a number of Off West End venues, such as Theatre Royal Stratford East, Shoreditch Town Hall, and Soho Theatre. His first major credit was as an assistant director to Rebecca Frecknall in her production of A Streetcar Named Desire at the Almeida Theatre in 2022-23. In 2023, he was an assistant director in the UK premiere of Robert O'Hara's Bootycandy at Gate Theatre, London. Shamiso also stepped in as a cover cast member in this production and his performance was commended in The Telegraph, which gave the production an overall five star review. In 2024, he was an associate director in the West End transfer of Ryan Calais Cameron's For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy at Garrick Theatre.
As a writer, his breakout work was the play No I.D., in which he was also the solo performer. It was performed at Theatre Peckham as part of the Peckham Fringe Festival and the Young, Gifted and Black season in 2022, before being picked up by Royal Court Theatre the following year. The production received four out of five star reviews from The Guardian and WhatsOnStage as well as five stars from Time Out London.
Recognition Shamiso was the winner of the 2023 Standard Theatre Award for Emerging Talent. He was also named as one of London's unsung LGBTQ+ heroes by The Standard in 2024.
Works YearTitleVenue(s)/ProductionRolesNote/DirectorWriterPerformer2021–2023Sundown Kiki and Sundown Kiki: Reloaded, by Jay Jay RevlonYoung Vic2022HousewarmingTheatre Peckham2022–2023No I.D.Theatre Peckham (2022); Royal Court Theatre (2023)2022–2023A Streetcar Named DesireAlmeida Theatre2023Bootycandy, by Robert O'HaraGate Theatre, London2023The VillageAlmeida TheatrePerformed by Almeida Young Company (14-18)2023–2026Choir Boy, by Tarell Alvin McCraneyBristol Old Vic (2023) and Theatre Royal Stratford East (2026)Co-directed with Nancy Medina2024For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too HeavyGarrick Theatre2024–20251884, by Rhianna IlubeShoreditch Town Hall (2024) and UK tour (2024-25)2025A Good House, by Amy JephtaRoyal Court Theatre and Bristol Old VicCo-directed with Nancy Medina2025I thought this would feel good, by Travis AlabanzaCharleston FestivalStarring Dylan Mulvaney2025–2026Eat The Rich (but maybe not me mates x), by Jade FranksPleasance Theatre (Edinburgh Fringe, 2025); UK Tour (Soho Theatre, Liverpool Everyman, and Bristol Old Vic; 2026)
Published playtext
References