Ready or Not By Naylah Ahmed

Pat , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Joan Blackham Intrepid plays by fearless women since 1991

Yusuf , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Adam Karim Kali Theatre Company develops and tours ground Holly , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Natasha Rickman breaking, thought provoking, contemporary theatre by With Ryan Early as the voice of Jack and Leila Farzad as the newsreader women writers of South Asian descent. Ready or Not We seek out and nurture talented writers, bringing their experience By Naylah Ahmed Director , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Helena Bell and stories to audiences from all backgrounds to transform the

Designer , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Sophia Lovell Smith theatre landscape and better reflect modern Britain.

Based on initial design ideas by Rajha Shakiry Kali Theatre Company has been championing women writers from a South Asian background for over twenty five years. Since it was

Lighting Designer , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Katharine Williams established in the mid 1990’s, Kali has established a reputation for creating and touring exciting and intriguing theatre. Video Designer , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Daniel Denton Our Writer Development Programme encourages and supports the Sound Designer , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Chris Drohan creation of new work through writing workshops, dramaturgical Fight Director , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Philip d’Orléans support and our regular week long Talkback public readings.

Associate Lighting Designer , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Sana Yamaguchi Helena Bell has recently become Artistic Director.

Watch out for Bitched, a biting look at the battle of the sexes Production Manager , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Simon Sinfield by Sharon Raizada, Kali’s next production as part of our Talkback

Company Stage Manager , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Jessica Thanki Festival at the Tristan Bates Theatre in London in October.

Assistant Stage Manager , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Marisa Bourne

Find our more and join our mailing list at kalitheatre.co.uk

 Kali Theatre Email us [email protected]  Like us facebook.com/kalitheatureUK Artistic Director , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Helena Bell  Tweet us @KaliTheatreUK #ReadyOrNotPlay Executive Director , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Christopher Corner

Administration , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Binita Walia

Publicist , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Judy Lipsey of Premier Communications KALI THEATRE WAR PLAYS SEASON

Thanks to all the staff of mac Birmingham for their support in launching In spring 2018, the year of the 100th anniversary of the end of World the tour of Ready Or Not. War One, Kali will present a season of staged readings on the theme Thanks to Komal Amin, Mike Freedman of Day600, Shawn Soh, Bubble Theatre and all of women’s experiences or untold stories from war or conflict across those whose help came too late to be included here. the globe. Naylah Ahmed would like to thank Janet, Rochi, Ali, Dan, Lawrence, Shereen and Imran for their help with writing Ready Or Not, with a special thanks to Will. We are inviting UK based women writers of South Asian descent to submit new plays relating to this theme for inclusion in the season. Deadline is 5 June. Full details on our website www.kalitheatre.co.uk Supported by

Kali Registered Charity 1071733 COMPANY BiOGRAPHieS Sophia Lovell Smith Katharine Williams Designer Lighting Designer ReADY Sophia studied Theatre Arts at Bretton Hall As a lighting designer for live performance, and now designs for theatre, opera, dance Katharine works in the uK and (Royal Court), Beau Brummell (New Joan Blackham Pat and most extensively theatre for children. internationally. Recent designs include: york), A Midsommer Nights Dream, The OR NOT theatre: Blown Apart (Windsor Fringe) Her most recent designs include Sponge Two Man Show and The Darkest Corners Golden Ass (Shakespeares Globe), Oliver Calendar Girls (Noel Coward) The (Barbican & ZArts), Fogonogo (Spitalfields (RashDash), Safe House (Daniel Bye), Big Twist, The Servant (Lyric Hammersmith), Importance of Being Earnest (Guildford Music), The Bogus Woman (TBTL & Curtis Guns (yard Theatre) and Partus (Third One Life And Counting (Bush). television Sometimes the worst human Shakespeare Company) Jane Eyre (Shared Productions) and Wave (Nottingham Angel). Katharine is lead artist on the Love Experience (uK/World Tours) When We includes: The Crown, Knightfall, Holby City, Letters to the Home Office project which actions are the result of one Playhouse). Sophia has designed for Are Married (WyP) Games (Gate) Lettice & Casualty, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, The campaigns using art, words and theatre to moment - a moment we can’t Lovage (Westcliff) Across Oka, Love of the The Jason Phillips Show, Margot and Mez, unicorn, Theatre Centre, Royal Opera stop the means-tested tiering of human take back, a moment with Nightingale, King Lear, Man of Mode (RSC) Soup Kitchen, The Bill and Heartbeat. House, 20 Stories High, Theatre-Rites, rights that is currently in place in the unimaginable consequences. Children of a Lesser God (Albery) Loot (Lyric Films include: The Foreigner, Red Tails and Polka, Royal & Derngate Theatres, Little uK for international families. She is the Studio/Arts Theatre) tV: Raised by Wolves, Beseme Mucho. Angel Theatre, ENO, National Theatre, Tell founder of the Crew for Calais initiative, The ‘war on terror’ has left countries New Tricks, Dr Who, Whitechapel, Doctors, Tale Hearts, Trestle and Theatre by the which is what happens when people and peoples ravished with untold Cry Wolf, Midsomer Murders, Honest, Judge Naylah Ahmed Writer Lake. She is delighted to be returning to from the theatre and creative industries numbers of non-combatants killed - John Deed, Inspector Morse, Back Home, Kali having designed Kali’s 2016 double bill come together to help refugees. www. Naylah is an established writer for theatre, untold because they’re uncounted. Home to Roost, Sweet Sixteen, A Small - She Is Not Herself & Stateless, and also crewforcalais.org Problem, Take a Letter, Mr Jones, To the radio and TV as well as a freelance radio Love comes In At The Window, River on Fire In the 16 years since 9/11, so Manor Born, Reginald Perrin Film: Battle drama producer. Her play Mustafa was and (with PBAB) Kabaddi Kabaddi Kabaddi. Philip d’Orléans much has changed; paranoia has for Sevastopol, The Sweeney, Mothers and commissioned by Birmingham Repertory Fight Director grown, the ‘us’ and ‘them’ rhetoric Daughters, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Plenty Theatre and co-produced by Kali Theatre Daniel Denton (Soho Theatre London and uK tour). It was Video Design theatre include: The Kite Runner gathers pace, 24/7 news coverage (Wyndham’s Theatre); Roméo et Juliette Adam Karim Yusuf awarded a Special Prize by the National in the post-truth era provides Daniel Denton is a visual artist and (Korea National Opera); As You Like It Adam recently graduated from Manchester Theatre Foundation (2013). Her play a soundtrack to our lives, and designer working with moving image (Chester Performs); Kiss Me Quickstep, School of Theatre (MMu). Since graduating Butcher Boys was one of the four joint democracy can seem more a logo across theatre, opera, music and Robin Hood and Marian, Gaslight, The he has appeared as Sajit in East is East winners of the Bruntwood Prize (2008). installation. Graduating from The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd, The Ladykillers than a political reality. (ATG - uK Tour) Abe in Disgraced (English Naylah has written several episodes of university for the Creative Arts in 2012 (New Vic); Treasure Island; As You Like It; Theatre Frankfurt) and will be appearing in Jamillah & Aladdin Series 1 & 2 (CBBC/ he joined video design collective Mesmer Macbeth (Creation Theatre); Duchess of the upcoming BBC Drama Three Girls. Ready or Not explores these themes Kindle). Naylah is based in Birmingham. as an animator and has since gone on Malfi, The Kite Runner, Robin Hood, A Skull to create visuals for shows ranging from in a small domestic setting where in Connemara (Nottingham Playhouse); Natasha Rickman Holly fashion to theatrical performances. Video a handful of characters deal with Helena Bell Director Robin Hood (Chipping Norton Theatre); Trained at RADA. theatre includes King design: Peter Pan (Exeter Northcott Helena Bell is the new Artistic Director King Lear (Northern Broadsides); King their own personal battles in this Theatre) Bumblescratch (Adelphi Theatre), Lear, Hamlet (Creation Theatre), The Lear (Guilford Shakespeare Company). wider global context. It explores loss, of Kali Theatre. She was previously AD Biedermann and the Arsonists (Sadler’s Mousetrap (West End), Roots (Nottingham Film includes: Knights of the Round of Pursued by a Bear Productions, a new Wells). animator: Big The Musical (Theatre guilt, motherhood, and the fallout Playhouse), The Picture of Dorian Gray Table: King Arthur (Guy Ritchie); Pan (English Theatre of Frankfurt) Romeo writing company resident at Farnham Royal Plymouth), Madame Butterfly of collateral damage in a world (Warner Brothers); The Knife That Killed and Juliet, Joan of Arc, Dogs Dialogue, The Maltings. Productions include The (Glyndebourne), Mickey and the Magicians where the rules of engagement suit Me (universal Pictures); Dark Signal Talented Mr Ripley -offie nominated best Lamellar Project by Grant Watson (Arcola (Disneyland Paris), Only the Brave (Welsh transient objectives and the enemy (Independent). supporting actress (The Faction), Julius Theatre and forthcoming uS transfer); Millenium Centre), The Government could be anyone. Caesar, Iphegenia (Mercury Theatre), Kabaddi Kabaddi Kabaddi by Satinder Inspector (Birmingham Rep), Andrea Relatively Speaking, Within The Gates Chohan, co-produced with Kali Theatre Chénier (Opera North), Gypsy (The Savoy). Jessica Thanki The play is set in Pat’s living room. Company Stage Manager Pat, a retired teacher, divorced and (Frinton Summer Theatre), Suitcase Stories, (Arcola and uK tour); Kalashnikov – in (Sell A Door, united Arab Emirates Tour), the Woods by the Lake by Fraser Grace in Chris Drohan Sound Design With a BA in Theatre Production, Jessica living alone, is hiding out burdened Much Ado About Nothing, Canterbury Tales association with Oxford Playhouse and New Nigerians, The Lamellar Project and La has been stage managing professionally by an unwanted secret. yusuf, a (Cunard). Radio includes Selling Shoes in Colchester Mercury and Fresh Tracks, a Boheme (Arcola Theatre), The Mirror Never for the last 9 years on various types of Southend (Frequency Theatre). Natasha young man who has lived all his festival of short new plays. Previously: Lies (Cockpit), After Three Sisters (Jack productions including: Double Dutch is co-founder of Women At RADA, an Espresso (Theatre Waah/Tristan Bates), adult life in the post 9/11world, is Co-Artistic Director of Brighton’s Alarmist Studio), Tonight at the Museum (Cinema initiative campaigning for gender equality Maybe Father (Talawa/young Vic), Behna trying to own his faith and engage Theatre developing, directing and touring Museum), ‘Tis Pity (Tristan Bates), Pheobe onstage. She is also a core ensemble (Kali/Birmingham Rep), Squid (Theatre in democracy, taking an anti-drone new plays including Fossil Woman by (Kings Head Theatre), The Marvellous member with The Faction. Royal Stratford East School Tour), Brixton petition to the streets. While Holly Louise Warren (Lyric, Hammersmith); Adventures of Mary Seacole (Edinburgh Festival), In The Gut (Blue Elephant), All Rocks (Tara Arts tour), Tagore’s Women is holding tightly to what she thinks The School of Night by Stephen Plaice Ryan early Voice of Jack Or Nothing (Touring), Dr. Angelus, Don’t (Kali/Southwark Playhouse), Sports Play (Pleasance, Edinburgh Festival) and The she knows until it begins to unravel theatre includes: Previously for Kali - Smoke in Bed and The One Day of the Year (Just a Must uK and International Tour), Bedbug (British Council tour). Freelance before her eyes. Mustafa (Soho Theatre and National Tour), (Finborough), Spring Awakening (Chelsea Dea by Edward Bond (Sutton Theatres), direction and dramaturgy includes Marco Polo: The Untold Love Story (ATC/ No one wants to be there but The Argument, Donny’s Brain (Hampstead) Theatre), Resolution (The Space), The Anna Karenina (Royal Exchange early plays for Kali such as Rukhsana Drunken City (Tabard Theatre), Roaring Trade Shaw Theatre), Gandhi and Coconuts, (Kali/ no one can leave. Manchester), Blue Remembered Hills Ahmad’s River on Fire - nominated for and Finders Keepers (Park Theatre), Stitching Arcola & tour), Mustafa (Kali/Birmingham Secrets have a habit of getting out… (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Hounding the Susan Smith-Blackburn Award (Lyric (White Bear), Counting Stars (Assembly), Rep tour), The Dishonoured, (Kali/uK of David Oluwale (Eclipse National Tour) Hammersmith and uK tour) and as a guest The Social Notwork (Lion and unicorn). As a Tour). Jessica was shortlisted for Stage Knight of The Burning Pestle (young Vic), director with drama schools and new composer, Chris has recently composed for Manager of the year 2011 by the Stage Naylah Ahmed War and Peace, The Eleventh Capital, writing companies throughout the uK. a BBC Radio Production of Andromache. Management Association.