The Avieli Arthouse is a Christian-led creative collective, championing a spirit of inclusivity and faith, which serves communities and engages with political discourse through grassroots activism and innovative storytelling. 

Our Purpose

In collaboration with socially-driven, politically-responsive organisations, we

  • Produce innovative art and theatre performances

  • Facilitate co-creational, educational workshops

  • Lead and co-deliver industry masterclasses

  • Host diverse gatherings to reach out to marginalised individuals

    Our work aims to unite fractured communities, rectify political injustices, and provide an Arthouse where all stories can be recognised and celebrated.

    In this sense, we are driven by our own relationship to Christ as ‘the light of the world’, to create a home where all communities can be treated with dignity.

Our Mission

At The Avieli Arthouse, our core mission is to:

  • Collaborate with socially-driven organisations to develop work that authentically reflects the lived experiences of marginalised communities.

  • Respond to contemporary debates on identity, politics, our environment and legacies of oppression. 

  • Attend to root causes of community struggles - cultural stigmas, unfair policies and dynamics of social inequality - through artistic enquiry, the facilitation of empowered spaces, compassionate dialogue and grassroots activism.

  • Cultivate a culture of accountability, solidarity and reconciliation, in relation to community struggles.

Our Vision

We envision a world in which diverse audiences can:

  • Recognise how our shared humanity can bind divided communities.

  • Engage with accessible art that inspires allyship and empathy amongst communities.

  • Empower themselves with a new sense of purpose, by developing a deeper relationship to themselves and the world around them.

  • Celebrate the power of art to open hearts and minds in the pursuit of justice in various social, political and cultural contexts.

Our Ethos

Our work invites audiences of all identities - encompassing different abilities, sexualities, faith and non-faith groups, class, cultural backgrounds and genders - to enter safe, inclusive artistic spaces and participate in campaigns of social justice. 

We recognise that this intersectional approach (an awareness of how different aspects of our identities can affect how we may experience privilege or discrimination) is key to empowering and building solidarity amongst marginalised communities.

By centering spiritual principles of compassion, acceptance and joy within our work, we envision new ways of seeing the world that can inspire communities to challenge systemic injustices, and foster collective healing.

Our Story

After the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, we felt compelled to establish a politically-responsive arts organisation, founded upon our relationships to God. Our essential question was, and still is: how can our faith lead us to strive for justice through art?

As performing artists, our faith is an integral part of our creative practices and desires to achieve justice for all members of society, recognising all identities, beliefs, genders, sexualities and abilities. In witnessing political division, we felt a need for a space where conversations about spirituality and diverse spiritual practices are not treated as taboo, but rather motivate communities to create art which can enrich society.

In November 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, in which art became a lifeline for communities to connect and retain a sense of hope for the future, The Avieli Arthouse was conceived.

A little under two years later, we founded The Avieli Arthouse on the 6th of October, 2022, after being awarded a StART Enterprise Award from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (RCSSD) to kickstart our dream.

Photography by Tshiella D

Our Team

  • Patrick Bayele - Company and Co-Artistic Director

    Patrick is a British-born Ghanaian theatre-maker, raised in the quiet suburbs of North West London. Though mute until the age of five, Patrick unlocked his voice through acting, poetry and storytelling. He has an MFA in Advanced Theatre Practice from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and is committed to leading diverse communities towards empowerment.

  • Esther Foga - Co-Artistic Director

    Esther is a whimsical, eclectic and eccentric queer Jamaican cabaret singer, actor and producer from South London. They have an MA in Musical Theatre from Associated Studios and also have experience working with children in SEND settings in the UK and France. On sunny days off, Esther loves to play ukulele by the river and on rainy days off they love to curl up with a good book.

  • Aixa Amarante Naranjo - Creative Producer

    Aixa is a proud Latina theatre producer with a background in dance and musical theatre, and an M.A. in Creative Producing. She currently serves as the Production Coordinator at CDM Productions, alongside her roles as the Director of Aixa Amarante Productions and Co-Director of Half A Girl Productions. Her work continues to advocate for a theatre industry that is equitable, inclusive and universally accessible, ensuring that every story finds its stage.

So - where does Avieli come from?

The Avieli Arthouse is named after Anthony Avieli Bayele, Patrick Bayele’s eldest brother; an aspiring musician and performer, who passed away in November, 2012. Anthony was known and loved for his faith, creativity, passion and desire to change the world. These values are the gifts of his legacy which we share with the communities we work alongside.