[7][8][3][9] During this time she commissioned a variety of new shows, including: Kaahini by Maya Chowdhry,[10] End of Season by Noel Greig,[11] Sleeping Dogs by Philip Osment, and Crush by Rosy Fordham.

[8][14] Productions during her tenure included: Death of a Salesman with Joseph Marcell playing Willie Loman,[16] Master Harold and the Boys by Athol Fugard,[17] Bollywood Jane by Amanda Whittington,[18] Fortune Club by Dolly Dhingra,[19] and Bones by Kay Adshead.

[20] In 2010 Thiarai worked for National Theatre Wales on The Soul Exchange, a play about Teddy Boys in Butetown, where audiences travelled in taxis as part of the performance.

[21][22] In 2012 she directed Mandala, an outdoor dance work in Birmingham and Nottingham with Sampad arts organisation, as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

[29] One noted production was an adaptation of Kes by Philip Osment,[30][31] another was the opening show The Glee Club by Richard Cameron, a playwright from Doncaster.

[41] Thiarai stated in December 2023 that through complex programming and community-engaged practice, the year had "put Leeds on the cultural map, nationally and internationally – and I think we can certainly say that that's happened in the way people talk about the city".