THE HOME OF THOUGHT-PROVOKING CREATIVITY
Who We Are
Matsena Productions was founded by BAFTA Award winning Welsh-Zimbabwean brothers Anthony and Kel Matsena as a response to the lack of representation they were seeing in schools, on stage and screen.
The company tells untold stories through the creation and performance of movement-based, multi-disciplinary work inspired by Anthony and Kel’s upbringing rooted in traditional African dancing and a background in different styles of hip-hop and krump, merging contemporary movements together.
They recently won a BAFTA-Cymru for their documentary "Brothers in Dance: Anthony and Kel Matsena" and their live work has gained national and international attention.
The critically acclaimed performance Shades of Blue - exploring the haunting ripples of the Black Lives Matter movement - was dubbed one of The Guardian’s Best Dance for 2022. They work together and individually with numerous creative organisations including Sadler’s Wells, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, The Place, DanceEast, Messums, Taliesin Arts Centre and National Theatre Wales. Matsena Productions were recently nominated for ‘Best Independent Company’ at the 2023 National Dance Awards.
Co-Artistic Director
Anthony Matsena
Anthony is a BAFTA-winning Zimbabwean-born, Welsh-raised director, writer, performer, and choreographer. He co-founded Matsena Productions in 2017 with his brother to explore themes of race, culture, and belonging.
A Sadler’s Wells Young Associate in 2018, he has since worked with major organisations including the RSC, BBC, and La Biennale di Venezia. Recent highlights include directing Kabel and Shades of Blue at Sadler’s Wells and premiering his first feature film Error Code 8:46. He holds a lifetime fellowship at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and chairs the Diversity and Inclusion board at National Youth Dance Wales.
Co-Artistic Director
Kel Matsena
Kel is a BAFTA-winning Zimbabwean-born, Welsh-raised actor, director, and co-artistic director of Matsena Productions. He recently starred in the RSC’s acclaimed Hamlet and the Olivier Award-winning Dear England at the National Theatre. His screen work includes the BAFTA-winning BBC documentary Brothers in Dance, GALWAD for Sky Arts, and The Light in the Hall for Channel 4 and S4C.
As a choreographer and director, Kel has created several award-winning works including KABEL at Sadler’s Wells, Shades of Blue, named one of The Guardian’s best dance works and praised by The New York Times, and The Herds for La Biennale di Venezia. His short film Are You Numb Yet won Best Show at the digital Edinburgh Fringe, and his feature Error Code 8:46 was recognised at the One Dance UK Awards. He has also served as a movement director for the RSC and on international productions Off-Broadway.
Co-Artistic Director
Arnold Matsena
Arnold is a Zimbabwean-born, Welsh-raised creative director with over 15 years of experience in performance, film, and community arts. He co-created the award-winning short film Are You Numb Yet, featured at the digital Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and appeared on BBC’s Dance Nation with Matsena Productions.
His work began with local councils in South Wales, producing performances and workshops that celebrated culture and community. He was named National Performer of the Year at the 2019 National Black History Awards and reached the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent as part of the A3 dance trio.
Committed to inclusion, he has worked with Race Council Cymru, leading weekly arts sessions for refugee and asylum-seeking children. His work focuses on bridging cultures and bringing the arts to underrepresented communities across Wales and the UK.
Executive Producer
Tim Wood
Tim is a management and communications consultant with over 20 years’ experience working with arts and cultural organisations. He has worked extensively in dance, with clients including Corey Baker Dance, DanceEast, Hofesh Shechter Company, James Wilton Dance and The Place. He is a former Chair of the Arts Marketing Association and Deputy Chief Executive of Rambert.
Admin Assistant
Jacquelyn Tepper
Jacquelyn Tepper is a freelance dance artist from Los Angeles, CA working within the contemporary and commercial scenes -- spanning live performance, dance films, music videos, backing dancing for touring artists, immersive/installation work, film/TV, and commercials.
As a producing assistant, Jacquelyn has worked with Miles Kearley’s Dynamicaa on their ACE funded production “QUEER’D” and North London grassroots org Save the Warehouses on their fundraising, community, and arts events.
As a performer, Jacquelyn has had the privilege of working with artists such as Mike Tyus, Holly Blakey, Dolly Sfeir, James Cousins, Andrew Winghart, Malik Nashad Sharpe, Megan Paradowski/EMPARA, Lea Tirabasso, Sababa Company and Deeply Rooted Dance Theater.
Jacquelyn received their BS from Northwestern University double majoring in Dance and Political Science with a minor in Environmental Policy & Culture. They have their MA from London Contemporary Dance School, having graduated with Distinction while performing with LCDS's EDGE Dance Company.