Helena Bell: Recognising a creative, generous, inspirational theatre figure with a profound legacy

Artistic Director of leading South Asian women’s theatre company remembered by friends and creative sector as we publish this on World Theatre Day, ahead of her company’s latest work…

By Suman Bhuchar

DURING this International Women’s Month www.asianculturevulture.com would like to pay tribute to artistic leader Helena Bell who passed away earlier this year and highlight all her fantastic work.

Bell was artistic director of Kali Theatre Company from 2016 to 2025 and was deeply loved by many in the creative community.

News of her death brought an outpouring of grief from friends, South Asian writers and the wider theatre community. We will share some of these later, below.

Indeed, everyone unanimously agreed she was the nicest and most generous person in a competitive arena and had time for everyone.

Bell, 64, passed away on January 31 this year, (also her birth date) after a short illness. She was diagnosed with cancer but sadly it spread and took her life.

Her funeral took place on February 27 at her local church, Godalming Minster in Surrey and was attended by over 150 people from the theatre world who included Kali co-founder and close friend, Rukhsana Ahmad, Kali artistic director Janet Steel (2002-2016), actor and Kali board member, Shelley King.

Alison McFayden, chair of Kali, led the tribute address and told the assembled mourners that Bell had selected the programme which was a mixture of biography, poetic tribute from her husband, Grant Watson and excerpts of play readings by writers, nurtured by Bell during her tenure at Kali and her previous theatre company, Pursued by a Bear (which she ran from 2006 to 2016).

The readings were ‘Homing Birds’ (2019), ‘River on Fire’ (2001) by Rukhsana Ahmad, ‘Sundowning’ (2018) by Nessa Muthy (productions directed by Bell), ‘Phantasmagoria’ (2023) by Deepika Arwind. (The play was directed by Jo Tyabji.)

Two other excerpts were from ‘Kabbadi, Kabbadi, Kabbadi’ (2012) by Satinder Chohan and ‘Kalashnikov’ (2011) by Fraser Grace which were produced by Pursued by a Bear.

Kali at 30 leaders: Janet Steel, Helena Bell, Rukshana Ahmad, and Rita Wolf (who co-founded Kali with Ahmad in 1991)

The final extract was from a monologue, ‘Me and Ed’ (2021) by Atiha Sen Gupta commissioned by Kali during Covid and is still available on the Kali Theatre You Tube channel. (See link below).

McFayden said: “Bell was a visionary force in the world of theatre, who brought together people and desperate communities, inspiring and giving confidence to the people she worked with – all with her smile and generosity.”

Asif Khan, Helena Bell, Rosamund Hutt, theatre director

Helena Bell was born and brought up in Bristol to a British mother and Indian father. She lived with her stepfather and two brothers and after school went to study English Literature at Warwick University.

She won a young journalist of the year award at Cosmopolitan and pursued journalism and teaching briefly before gravitating to theatre.

She set up and was co-artistic director of Alarmist Theatre 1988 to 1998 (with Stephen Plaice) and became the first British company to tour Russia with ‘The Bedbug’ an adaptation of Vladimir Mayakovsky’s play.

Bell also randomly connected with writer Rukhsana Ahmad, after she found her address and wrote to her around 1992 to ask for permission to adapt a short story by Ahmad, ‘The Gatekeeper’s Wife’ for Alarmist Theatre Company.

The two became friends and in the end Ahmad wrote the adaptation herself which was produced by the company in 1994.

In her tribute to Bell, Ahmad wrote: “That first production with you, of ‘The Gatekeeper’s Wife’, taught me so much about theatricality and performance. It was a proper education in the art form”.

Ahmad continued: “You are that rare artist, who is totally unselfconscious and non-egotistic, never vying for credit or praise. You never needed it – you got all your joy from the work itself”.

Bell directed the first Kali double bill of shows, ‘Love Comes in at the Window’ at the Oval House in 1998 (one play was ‘The Ecstasy’ by Anu Kumar and the other was ‘Kali Shalwar’, an adaptation of Saadat Hasan Manto’s 1941 short story by Ahmad).

Incidentally, I also worked on that show and it was where I also met Bell for the first time.

In 2021, at the 21st birthday celebration for Kali Theatre, Bell as artistic director of Pursued by A Bear, directed ‘Kabaddi, Kabbadi, Kabbadi’ which was a co-production between the two companies. It was here that actor and writer Asif Khan met her (see his tribute below).

At Kali, she set up the Discovery programme, (the writer’s development programme), was a producer /dramaturge and alongside her executive director, Chris Corner, managed Kali.

Atiha Sen Gupta, Helena Bell and Suman Bhuchar

Corner said the company intends to programme the work Bell commissioned and it is a testament to her “unique combination of skills and her innate humanity that made her so good at supporting and encouraging the creation of so much good work from so many writers. That will be her lasting legacy.”

The company’s one-day theatre festival, Seedlings – their climate change focus begins at Tara Theatre on Saturday. (See link below).

Most people saw Bell at Kali’s last production, ‘King Troll’ written by Sonali Bhattacharyya and directed by Milli Bhatia. (It recently received an OFFIE Award in the Sound and Music category for composer, Xana).

Bell is survived by her partner Grant Watson and their son, Jake.

Some tributes:
Natasha Kathi-Chandra, artistic director of Tara Theatre.

“You have been a driving force for change, representation and elevating important voices and stories for south Asian women and others through your incredible work and have left an everlasting mark on our sector.”

Playwright Nessa Muthy

“A light has gone out in theatre. The kindness has gone out. You were glorious. You are glorious and I will love you forever.”

Asif Khan

“Helena has been a friend who has constantly supported me. I felt over the years that she has offered me enormous generosity and love. Everyone I meet who knew her says the same. She was just a genuine beautiful soul. I miss her already. The loss is colossal. And if I’m feeling this way, I can only imagine the pain her family must be feeling right now. I send you my deepest condolences and my prayers.”

Atiha Sen Gupta

“Thank you for everything you taught me, for the words we wrought together and for the meaning we made. If everything is story, then yours is a great one – of family, of friendships, of plays and press nights, of large glasses of red wine at said press nights, of learning, and of love. I’m just heartbroken by this story’s end.
With words we met and with words we say goodbye.”

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