Waleed Akhtar Announced as First Recipient of The Roger Michell Commissioning Fund

Waleed Akhtar is the first recipient of The Roger Michell Commissioning Fund. The annual fund, set up after the passing of director Roger Michell in 2021 with donations from his family and friends, will support an annual commission for a playwright with a fresh and unique perspective on the world to develop a play alongside the Almeida Theatre.

Akhtar's previous plays include The P Word (Bush Theatre - recently nominated for an Olivier Award); The Art of Illusion (Hampstead Theatre); and Kabul Goes Pop: Music Television Afghanistan (Brixton House). He is the current recipient of the 2023 Peggy Ramsay/Film 4 bursary and will spend a year at Hampstead Theatre as playwright in residence. He won Most Promising Playwright at the Off West End Awards 2023 and was nominated for the equivalent award at The Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2022.