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Teniola Ayoola is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and critic. She was part of the 2026 cohort of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center and is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association.
While at GWU, she founded the campus storytelling initiative Humans of GW. She was recognized as a high-profile White House Correspondents’ Association Scholar and completed internships with major global outlets like BBC News in both Washington, D.C., and Lagos.
She is a highly active voice in the D.C. theater ecosystem, writing reviews and arts criticism for various platforms, shared below.
She also serves on the Board of Directors for the non-profit arts organization Day Eight.
She earned her undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from George Washington University and went on to complete a Master’s in Management from Harvard University. She serves on the Board of Directors of The Harvard Club of D.C.
The Phillips Collection

JUAN MIRÓ

“The exhibition does a great job tracing artistic exchange, but stops short of asking a broader question: How does that exchange shape transatlantic relationships beyond the gallery, particularly in public life? Sports diplomacy is well understood. Arts diplomacy is no less significant.”

– Teniola Ayoola DC LINE

The Phillips Collection

William Gropper

“The lack of color doesn’t feel like a limitation but a strategic choice, amplifying each line and shadow. In Capriccios, the absence of color serves as an aesthetic and moral weight, forcing viewers to grapple with his subjects’ grotesque expressions, exaggerated gestures and the shadows that loom large, like the ideologies he opposes.”

– Teniola Ayoola DC LINE

ARTECHOUSE

submerge

“At its weakest, SUBMERGE’s technological spectacle overshadows the very art it brings to life. At its strongest, the exhibition makes you a co-creator.”

– Teniola Ayoola 1 MINUTE CRITIC

Smithsonian

Sightlines

“The jacket’s resemblance to a scarecrow — usually used to keep birds away from crops — invites speculation: Is it meant as a deliberate symbol of protection, loss and deterrence, or is it just a coincidence? The ambiguity adds depth to the narrative of displacement and cultural erosion.” – Teniola Ayoola DC LINE

Reported Feature

Washington Post arts

“The decline of arts coverage at the Post did not begin with the most recent layoffs in February 2026. In the DC area, arts organizations and arts coverage have seemed to follow inverse trajectories over the past 20 years.”

– Teniola Ayoola DC THEATRE ARTS

Reported Feature

Will on The hill

“At a time when conversations about education often revolve around testing and budget constraints, STC’s ‘Will on the Hill’ offered another vision of investment, one rooted in creativity, empathy, and imagination. Arts education, the evening suggested, is not merely enrichment. It is infrastructure. It creates pathways and cultivates talent.” – Teniola Ayoola MD THEATRE GUIDE

Teniola.ayoola@gmail.com