Mama Quilla Presents: Music Speaks

Mama Quilla Productions presents a unique evening of music and spoken word: Music/ Speaks.

Performances by world music sensation NAJMA AKHTAR, singer/songwriter and JONATHAN GLEW will be performing, alongside members of the cast of 'The Singing Stones’.

Najma Akhtar has been at the forefront of the World Music scene for the last two decades and is renowned for using modern jazz influences with Indian ghazal vocals to create a pioneering fusion of eastern and western styles.

She has released 7 solo albums - from the groundbreaking 'Qareeb' (1987) which was the first ever recording to fuse jazz and Indian ghazals, to 'Pukar' (1992) which combined a mix of Persian, Indian and African instruments.

'Rishte' (2009) saw Najma collaborate with the legendary Grammy nominated guitarist Gary Lucas producing another milestone in crossover music.

Infact Najma has collaborated with some of the world’s most influential and musicians, including Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin fame, Philip Glass, Basement Jaxx, Jah Wobble, Andy Summers of The Police, Jethro Tull, Steve Coleman and Stan Harrison.


Jonathan is a brilliantly talented singer/songwriter who plays ukulele, guitar, mandolin, appalachian dulcimer, washboard and cajon and the saw, as well as dabbling on anything he can get his hands on.

He performs regular solo shows across London, is the singer/songwriter in feel good 8 piece folk big band Four Thousand Islands and is a member of 16 voice a cappella group The Shout. Alongside this he works developing innovative and experimental new work.


Mama Quilla is an award-winning woman-led theatre company spotlighting human rights issues. It was founded by Kay Adshead and Lucinda Gane in 1999 to offer a female perspective on the big issues of the day. It also recognises and seeks to combat the waste of resources and talent in female theatre practitioners over the age of 40 and seeks to empower older women in the theatre industry.

‘Mama Quilla shows that theatre still has the capacity to address public issues.’ – The Guardian.