Described by The Scotsman as ‘one of the key creative figures in Scotland’s increasingly determined effort to come to terms with its own colonial past, and particularly with Scottish involvement in slavery and the slave trade,’ May Sumbwanyambe is an academic, radio dramatist and award-winning playwright from Edinburgh.

Previous productions include:

ENOUGH OF HIM (National Theatre of Scotland, Pitlochry Festival Theatre) GHOST LIGHT, (Edinburgh International Festival and National Theatre of Scotland), JOSEPH KNIGHT, (BBC Scotland, National Theatre of Scotland), AFTER INDEPENDENCE (Arcola Theatre, Papatango Theatre), THE PARROT HOUSE (Guildhall School of Music and Drama), AFTER INDEPENDENCE, THE TRIAL OF JOSEPH KNIGHT and BACK HOME (BBC Radio 4).

He is currently writing new stage plays for The Citizens Theatre and The National Theatre of Great Britain.

In 2022 May’s play ENOUGH OF HIM was the winner of Best New Play awards at both the Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland as well as the UK Theatre Awards. He has also won, Best New Production CATS Awards (2023), the Alfred Fagon Audience Award (2016), the BBC PAF’s £10k Legacy Award and the £10k BBC Performing Arts Fund Opera Fellowship. Other award recognition includes being shortlisted for the Channel 4/Oran Mor Comedy Drama Award (2012), the Papatango New Writing Prize (2012), the Alfred Fagon Award (2011, 2012, 2015), the BBC’S Alfred Bradley Award (2011) and OffWestEnd’s Adopt a Playwright Award (2010 and 2009), The Old Vic 12 award (2016) Perfect Pitch £12k musical award (2016), IASH/Traverse Fellowship (2017,2018), Live Theatre/Northumbria University Writer in Residence (2018) and The Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship (2018). He also reached the final round of Soho Theatre’s Verity Bargate Award (2011) and won the BBC’s inaugural Scriptroom competition (2012).

As an academic, May worked for The University of Edinburgh as a Teaching Fellow in Theatre (2018-2019), he was previously an Associate Lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University (2016 -2019) and is currently an Assistant Professor in Creative Writing and English at Northumbria University. May’s Undergrad degree was in law (LLB). He studied for his masters (MA) At Guildhall School of Musical and Drama in ‘Opera Making’, where he was also a Hedley Trust Scholar. He is currently the recipient of a full studentship from the University of York, where he is writing his PhD ‘A Practice-Based investigation into writing Black History Plays’.