Josette Bushell-Mingo

Josette’s professional career covers 40 years as an award-winning actress and director in the UK, internationally and in Sweden. 

As an actress in the UK, work includes two seasons at the Royal Shakespeare Company, two seasons at the Royal National Theatre and two seasons at the Manchester Royal Exchange. Josette has been nominated for the prestigious Oliver award for best actress for her role in The Lion King, three times winner of the TMA / Theatre Management Award) for best actress and received an OBE – Order of the British Empire – from Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth II, for Services to the Arts 2007.

Josette has also received the Judy Cramer Award for Innovation, and the Southbank Cultural Diversity Award for work in changing the face of Black British Artists and their representation through the organization PUSH. 

As a director and teacher Josette has taught and directed in Stockholm, Malmö and Luleå theatre schools, LAMDA – London Academy of Music and Dramatic arts, Central school of Speech and Drama – also most the prestigious theatre school TISCH part of NYU in New York, USA as a guest teacher in the performance of classical Greek Theatre.

Josette was recently Artistic Director for Riksteaterns Tyst Teater – sign language theatre department and from there, her work has developed into a perception-changing theatre department, in the understanding, respect and potential of sign language arts and the artistic, linguistic and cultural rights of the deaf. 

Josette is now head of Acting at Stockholms University – again, an historic first, as the first woman ever in the history of the institution to hold the post , and the first African decent woman ever to hold the position.