Bhuchar Boulevard in association with The Royal Court Theatre present Retracing Our Footsteps, three nights of play readings of classic works by British/South Asian writers, celebrating a rich canon of work that is rarely seen on stage.
Curated by Bhuchar Boulevard Associate
Suman Bhuchar, this retrospective, features plays originally performed at
The Royal Court Theatre, from India to the UK, with subjects exploring child prostitution, corruption, partition, vengeance, love, and integration. The readings will be presented 7.30pm Wednesday 30 May - Friday 1 June 2018 in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs.
The readings will be directed by Kristine Landon-Smith, Kully Thiarai and
Iqbal Khan and followed by panel discussions.
Retracing Our Footsteps is an initiative by Bhuchar Boulevard to accelerate the development of an Asian theatre playwriting archive.
In 1912 The Royal Court Theatre hosted the first-ever play by Indian artists in England, but it was the English Stage Company under William Gaskill, that in 1967 produced the first play from India, A Touch Of Brightness by, the then upcoming writer, Partap Sharma.Vicky Featherstone- Artistic director of The Royal Court says, "In order to build future voices we need to understand the legacy of the past which is why we are so thrilled this project is happening here at the Court."
Sudha Bhuchar- Artistic director Bhuchar Boulevard says, 'As an artist of colour, I have always seen 'who I am' as essential to my work. I now see younger artists looking to find their voice and identity through exploration of subjects that connect them to their history and heritage. They often have no knowledge of the works that already exist. It is urgent not only for them but for wider society to have access to this invisible canon and hopefully generate new interest in these works, and for mainstream theatres to see diverse voices as essential in making British theatre vital and relevant to all"
"This is a unique opportunity for audiences to engage with our diverse stories and offer an insight into a less known British Asian theatre heritage. Revisiting these plays offers a visceral comment on contemporary life."
With thanks to Professor Colin Chambers, Tara Arts, Phizzical Productions, V&A and University of Warwick for their support of Bhuchar Boulevard's Asian playwriting archive project.
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