National Theatre event showcases work of British South Asian theatre pioneers

The work of British South Asian theatre pioneers will be showcased at a major event at the National Theatre as part of new work to create an archive of their plays.

The evening of script-in-hand readings is a unique opportunity to learn more the British South Asian theatre canon produced from 1980s to 2010.

Organised by experts from Bhuchar Boulevard and the University of Exeter, the event is designed as a timely celebration and call to action. It is part of the ‘Retracing Our Footsteps’ programme established by Bhuchar Boulevard to develop greater awareness of the contribution of British South Asian theatre practitioners, writers, and companies.

British South Asian theatre in the UK is over a century old and yet there is no discernible archive and only fractured knowledge of the narrative. Without cohesive documentation of work produced in the last century these invisible histories may be erased.

Bhuchar Boulevard has joined forces with partners including the University of Exeter to champion the creation of a performance archive and invite more readings, advocacy and revisiting plays that had great impact. This will amplify the voices and stories of South Asian artists.

The plays are Miti Gi Kadi or The Little Clay Cart adapted by Jatinder Verma from the original play by Sudraka and produced by Tara Arts, performed in 1984; Madhuri I Love You (1997) by Parminder Sekhon; Balti Kings (1999) by Sudha Bhuchar and Shaheen Khan, and What Fatima Did (2009) by Atiha Sen Gupta.

The excerpts of each play will be directed by a new generation of directors, Milli Bhatia and Natasha Kathi-Chandra, who have created new visions of the plays designed to make them relevant for today.

There will be introductions to each play, and a discussion at the end. Three of the plays presented are not published.

The University of Exeter is funding this event as part of a larger AHRC-funded research project, Unveiling The Archives, to give greater visibility and celebrate the importance of British South Asian theatre over the past 45 years. This project is led by Professor Jerri Daboo from the Department of Communications, Drama and Film at the University.

The event will be held on November 8 at 6.30pm in the Duffield Studio at the National Theatre.

In January 2025, the Retracing Our Footsteps project will be presenting another event at the National Theatre inviting theatre companies to explore the creation and looking after their archive heritage as part of the University of Exeter’s Unveiling The Archives project. This will take the form of a workshop led by a panel of experts on archiving. It is aimed at theatre companies and practitioners to explore issues relating to how to form an archive from their material. If interested in taking part in the workshop, email J.J.Daboo@exeter.ac.uk