Travis Alabanza is a performer, writer and theatre maker who identifies as black, trans feminine and gender non-conforming. They are the youngest person to be awarded a residency at The Tate, the first black trans person to sell out a show at Southbank Centre and have had work featured at the V&A, Roundhouse and, most recently, the Bush Theatre with their play ‘Overflow’. As one of the most prominent emerging trans voices in the arts and beyond, Travis talks to Annie about their journey with change - from wearing a dress on stage for the first time stepping into the role of a Lady Gaga witch at school, to selling out venues with their award winning play Burgerz which sees Travis confronting the audience about their attitude to trans people, after they were called a “tranny” and had a burger thrown at them in broad daylight on waterloo bridge. 

With their usual charm and warmth, Travis openly discusses attending a summer camp in the US and learning about pronouns for the first time, putting on act, starting and dropping out of University to be an artist, their relationship with their mum and brother and becoming a trans voice in the art world. 

Want to find out more? Head to:

http://travisalabanza.co.uk/

You can follow Travis on Twitter and instagram: @travisalabanza

The TED talk mentioned in the podcast is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wAwcTTOq4k&feature=youtu.be

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