Tell us about Suba

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Suba Das is an award-winning theatre director, producer and dramaturg. He is Artistic Director and Chief Executive of HighTide, one of the UK’s leading new writing theatre companies; and a trustee of the North Music Trust, which operates the iconic Sage Gateshead building and the Royal Northern Sinfonia.

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From 2012 to 2018, Suba was Associate Director at Leicester Curve, one of the UK’s major producing theatres. Directing credits at Curve included the world premieres of Wipers by Ishy Din and Pink Sari Revolution by Purva Naresh, the European premiere of Shiv by Aditi Brennan Kapil, and new productions of Abigail’s Party and The Cat In The Hat (with Rose Theatre Kingston and the National Centre for Circus Arts). At Curve, Suba also established the prestigious Inside Out Festival, developing new drama, dance and spoken word by artists in the East Midlands, raising over £1.5M for new work seen in Leicester and internationally by over 500,000 people.

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In 2017, Das made his opera debut directing the posthumous world premiere of Ravi Shankar’s Sukanya for The Royal Opera in co-production the London Philharmonic and BBC Singers, receiving a WhatsOnStage nomination for Breakthrough Artist in UK Opera.

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A Cambridge English graduate and previously Resident Director at the National Theatre Studio and English Touring Theatre, Suba has also directed for major UK venues including Theatre Royal Stratford East, Northern Stage, Nottingham Playhouse, the Young Vic and the Roundhouse; and internationally at The Vineyard Theater, New York; and the National Centre for Performing Arts, Mumbai.

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Why do you think it’s important to see artistic response to social and political events?

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Artists are the conscience of society. They help us interpret and understand the world around us, offering insight and clarity amidst the maelstrom of news and social media that can often overwhelm any single person. Now more than ever, as we struggle to separate fact from fiction; art has a vital role to play in cutting through the noise, rendering what is complex accessible and – most importantly – reminding us all of our common humanity.