"I’m not entangled in shaping my work according to other people’s views of how I should have done it."-Toni Morrison.
Writing
‘Who I am’ is the prism through which I experience the world. As an ‘insider/outsider’ I have always felt ‘part of’ yet ‘apart from’ many communities/experiences. My childhood spanned three continents (Africa, India, and UK) and my lived experience as an immigrant, a parent, and a brown female artist of a certain age, enables me to stand in many shoes. I am multi-lingual, yet I now think mostly in English. My writing is fuelled through research and listening - the stories that emerge are refracted through mine.
Playwriting.
The scarcity of parts and lack of depth in the work I was being offered as an actor led organically to my writing plays- untold stories from mainly South Asian communities with a window into worlds not seen on the British Stage. This journey has led to my body of work as co-founder of Tamasha and other memorable commissions.
Dramaturgy
Learning the nuts and bolts of playwrighting goes hand in hand with excavating stories. Mentors like the late Philip Osment, Lin Coghlan and Carl Miller have helped me find/refine my voice. I am passionate about sharing knowledge and enabling younger artists to bring their full selves to their work.
Other Projects.
For me, the boundary of what is and what isn’t theatre is fluid. Experiencing writing and live performance as a participant or audience member is visceral and significant when you see yourself reflected in the work. Projects like Final Farewell, Touchstone Tales and Covid and Me came from immersing myself in research and in collaboration with people who were an integral part of the ‘making’ of them.
Articles & Blogs.
I am not an academic but have been asked to contribute to several articles and blogs for academic and other publications as well as in charting the milestones and journey of works like Touchstone Tales. On occasion I am invited to write and deliver keynote speeches (dramaturgs’ network, Neustadt Award) and other public contributions.
"Go for broke. Always try and do too much. Dispense with safety nets. Take a deep breath before you begin talking. Aim for the stars. Keep grinning. Be bloody-minded. Argue with the world. And never forget that writing is as close as we get to keeping a hold on the thousand and one things--childhood, certainties, cities, doubts, dreams, instants, phrases, parents, loves--that go on slipping , like sand, through our fingers."
— Salman Rushdie, Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism 1981-1991
