As part of the Unfinished Histories 2026 rediscovery programme, Fifty Years of the Fight for Inclusion III: Black & Asian Theatre in Britain, this two-day symposium marks 50 years since the publication of Naseem Khan’s landmark report, The Arts Britain Ignores (1976).
Across two days of keynote talks, panel discussions, performances, archival encounters, and conversation, the symposium will explore the legacy of Khan’s work and ask what has changed, what has endured, and where cultural power sits today.
The programme brings together artists, writers, theatre-makers, archivists, cultural leaders, and organisations whose work reflects the histories and questions raised by Khan’s report. It will consider the development of Black and Asian theatre and performance over the last fifty years, the importance of migrant and regional stories, alternative and experimental practices, and the role of archives in preserving histories that might otherwise disappear.
At the heart of the symposium is an evening celebration of Naseem Khan herself. Shreela Ghosh and friends and colleagues of Naseem will reflect on the woman they knew, alongside readings from her work, including her memoir, unpublished fiction, journalism and her influential writing on arts and cultural policy.
Together, the two days will look back in order to look forward: celebrating what has been achieved while creating space to ask where we are now, what remains unfinished, and where we aspire to go next.
This is a two day symposium:
Day 1: Friday 27 November, 1:30 - 5:30 PM, is hosted at King’s College, REACH Space, 3rd floor, Strand Campus, WC2R 2LS.
Day 2: Saturday 28 November, 10:30 AM - 7 PM, is hosted at London Performance Studios, Studio 5, Penarth Street, SE15 1TR. The Ticket Page for Day 2, with Saturday Only tickets, is accessible here.
Friday Only or Full Symposium tickets include complimentary access to the special evening event Naseem Khan: The Woman, the Writer and the Legacy. This intimate evening celebration features a drinks reception, keynote talk, and a selection of readings and performances celebrating Naseem’s life and work directed by Sudha Bhuchar. Free tickets available here.
Day 1, evening celebration: Friday 27 November, 6 - 9 PM, King’s College, Bush House, 30 Aldwych, WC2B 4BG.
No one will be turned away for lack of funds, email us at info@londonperformancestudios.com or join us as a volunteer.