Female Led Theatre Company Brings SANTI & NAZ to Birmingham Hippodrome

Against the backdrop of the partition of India, two best friends bound by love resist the forces that try to tear them apart. Santi & Naz is set in 1945, two years before the partition of India, two young women – one Sikh, one Muslim – stand fast against circumstances that would separate them.

Santi and Naz are best friends who only think about stealing books, swimming in the lake and spying on the local hottie. But as social unrest spreads and families and communities are torn apart, neither understands how their religions are set to divide them, having lived side-by-side all their lives. Then when Naz is betrothed to a tailor in Rawalpindi and her feelings for Santi become complex and confusing, the girls reach cross-roads with terrible consequence. Santi & Naz contributes to a conversation about postcolonial legacy whilst giving a fresh perspective on female friendship, coming of age and coming out.

Santi & Naz shows the years just before the partition of India which was set in motion by the dissolution of the British Raj and split the country into Hindu and Sikh-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan, displacing over ten million people and leaving over one million dead. It has been described as the greatest humanitarian crisis of modern times, and the effects of the division can still be felt today. The show premiered at VAULT Festival in 2020 and played at the Pleasance at Edinburgh Festival Fringe after winning the Charlie Hartill Fund in 2023.

Writer Guleraana Mir said, “Santi & Naz is full of joyous moments, playfully shining a light on a moment in time that is actually a major part of British history; one that is rarely seen on stage or taught in schools. The play speaks to anyone who's ever felt like they have no control over what's happening to them in the world. It's for friends and lovers, families and history buffs, and for those who know little about the Partition of India but would like to.”

The Thelmas is a female-led touring company who explore the social, political and cultural stories that matter, in a fresh and surprising way. They are led by director Madelaine Moore, whose productions include Santi & Naz, Ladykiller and Algorithms, and writer Guleraana Mir, whose work includes Santi & Naz, Coconut and Doctors (BBC One). Santi & Naz is a collaboration with writer afshan d'souza-lodhi (Hijabi (r)evolutions/It's not about the Burqa), has music by Tom Penn and has been made in consultation with Eleanor Newbigin, Senior Lecturer in the history of modern South Asia at SOAS, University of London. The Thelmas celebrate their 10th anniversary in August 2024.

Casting has been announced as Aiyana Bartlett as Santi and Farah Ashraf as Naz. Aiyana is a recent graduate of Oxford School of Drama and has recently been seen in Testmatch (Orange Tree Theatre) and A Hundred Words For Snow (Gothenburg English Studio Theatre). Farah is a queer, British Pakistani actor, writer and spoken word artist whose credits include Pink Rabbit (Theatre 503) and Play Without A Title (New Diorama).

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