Kali seeks out strong individual Asian women writers who challenge our perceptions through original Second Stages and thought provoking theatre. co-production with The company has established a reputation for presenting work that takes audiences on unpredictable journeys that entertain, excite and inspire.

Cast

Mushtaq ...... Pushpinder Chani

Laila ...... Shelley King

Javed ...... Alan Suri Chaos - 2005 Bells - 2005

Deirdre ...... Joan Walker

Director ...... Janet Steel

Designer ...... Matthew Wright

Lighting ...... Philip Gladwell

Composer ...... Sayan Kent Sock ‘em With Honey - 2003 Calcutta Kosher - 2004 Choreographer ...... Kella Panay

Assistant Director ...... Amy Beeson

Company Stage Manager ...... Andy Beardmore

Assistant Stage Manager ...... Tabatha Sue Williams

Project Manager ...... Christopher Corner

Administrator ...... Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway River On Fire - 2000 Singh Tangos - 2002 Production Manager ...... Simon Sinfi eld Since its inception in 1990, Kali’s connections within the Asian community have Graphic Design ...... Luke Wakeman made it a natural home for women who are seeking new ways to express and Marketing Image ...... Robert Workman explore the issues and human interest stories of the Diaspora. Production Photographs ...... Robert Day Giving Voice This autumn in London and Manchester, Kali will be presenting

Set built by ...... Factory Settings 07966 154434 a unique Festival of Asian Women’s writing, including studio productions, play readings of exciting new work, and 20/20, an eclectic collection of bite-size snippets from twenty women writers woven together to create a vocal tapestry. First performance: 22 February 2006 at Watermans The Festival will also feature a full production of Deadeye by Amber Lone Paper Thin was originally co-commissioned by Watermans and The Festival will celebrate the diversity of Asian Women’s experiences and the Theatre Royal, Stratford East imaginations and platform some of the freshest talent creating new writing for the theatre. Further information from www.kalitheatre.co.uk Kali would like to thank everyone at Watermans, Arts Depot and Croyden Clocktower for all their help and support with presenting Paper Thin. Artistic Director ...... Janet Steel Administrator ...... Simeilia Hodge-Dallaway Thanks to Kerry Michael, Ashmead Sohoye, everyone at 18 Rupert Street and Consultant General Manager ...... Christopher Corner all those whose help came too late to be mentioned here. Board of Trustees: Shelley King (Chair), Elizabeth Cuffy, Penny Gold, Supported by Arts Council England in collaboration with artsdepot, Croydon Shobu Kapoor, Shyama Perera, Shiroma Silva, Jocelyn Watson, Rita Wolf Clocktower and Watermans, profi ling British South Asian Theatre. Kali was founded by Rukhsana Ahmad and Rita Wolf SecondSecond SStagestages Kali Theatre Co. 18 Rupert Street London W1D 6DE co-productionco-production wwithith 020 7494 9100 [email protected]

www.kalitheatre.co.uk Ltd Co. No. 2583595 Registered Charity 1071733 COMPANY BIOGROPHIES Azma Dar Writer Kella Panay Choreographer Azma Dar was born in Ashford and grew Kella trained at the Urdang Academy Pushpinder Chani Mushtaq 2nd Generation (Channel 4) and 55 up in Pinner. She studied Art for a year at of Performing Arts, English National Pushpinder trained at Carlton Television Degrees North (BBC1). Films include: Central Saint Martins College and then did Ballet School and London Studio Centre. workshops and Birmingham Theatre Wimbledon, Synesthesia, Love ‘n a degree in Literature and Classical Studies. Theatre includes: Saturday Night School. Theatre includes: What We Textology (Queercycle Films), Providence Shortly afterwards she joined the Young Fever and the original cast of Bombay Did To Weinstein (Menier Chocolate (London School of Film). Writers’ Programme at the Royal Court, Dreams (Apollo Victoria). In the last year My fi rst real glimpse into the world of paper marriages Factory), Twelfth Night (The Stage Works), and began writing plays and a novel. Her of Bombay Dreams, she was dance was about ten years ago, when I met several young Midnight’s Children (Royal Shakespeare Joan Walker Deirdre fi rst play, Chaos was produced by Kali in captain. Kella has performed on numerous Pakistani men who’d paid thousands of pounds to Company), Baiju Bawra (Theatre Royal Joan can be seen in the upcoming C4 Spring 2005. She is currently working on television programmes including Top Stratford East), 14 Songs, 2 Weddings and drama-documentary Why We Went to a new play, inspired by the life of a secret of the Pops, Ant and Dec’s Saturday marrymarry English women in order to stay in Britain. I was a Funeral (Tamasha Theatre Company), War. TV includes: Coronation Street, agent during WW2, with Watermans, as Night Takeaway and The Royal Variety veryvery judgemental. The women were obviously greedy Made in India (Leicester Haymarket Studio) Grange Hill, Kiss Me Kate and presenting part of a new writing scheme. Performance 2003. This is Kella’s second and Transmission Festival (Birmingham a 5 part maths series on the BBC for production for Kali and she is delighted to criminals, and the men were already cast as villains in Rep). He has worked extensively for The Open University. Recent theatre Philip Gladwell be working with the company again. my mind. Over previous years men like this had tricked Theatre in Education companies, including includes: The History Boys (National Lighting Designer various friends or family members into marriage, only Women and Theatre, Catalyst, Speakeasy Theatre), The Country Wife and The Philip has just lit Jack & The Beanstalk Janet Steel Director Theatre. TV includes: Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Revenger’s Tragedy (Bridewell Theatre), (Hackney Empire) and Sophie Tuckers One Artistic Director of Kali Theatre Company to reveal later that they already had wives in Pakistan Hee Hee, Casualty and Doctors (BBC). The Master and Margarita (Lyric/Almeida), Night Stand (New End Theatre). Other since 2003, Janet began her career as or local girlfriends with whom they intended to continue Film includes: Almost Adult and Cross Spring Awakening and The Green Parakeet theatre includes: Macbeth, Way up an actress. Theatre includes: Cinders, My Heart (Film Four) and Anita and Me. (Battersea Arts Centre). Joan is the audio Stream (Derby Playhouse), Jackets (Theatre A Colder Climate (Royal Court Theatre), relationships with. Their new British Pakistani wives Radio includes: Ties, A Minus and Behind guide voice for a multitude of prestigious 503), The Bodies (Newcastle Live Theatre), Blood Wedding (Half Moon), Romeo were simply convenient means of obtaining a passport.passport. Closed Doors (Radio 4), Silver Street (BBC visitor sites including: The Palace of The Canterville Ghost (Peacock), The and Juliet (Sherman Theatre & Albany Inevitably,Inevitably, these marriages ended in divorce. British Asian Network). Westminster, Scarborough Castle, The Morris (Liverpool Everyman), In The Bag Empire), Oedipus Rex (Tara Arts). TV Palace of Monaco, The Louvre, The Royal (Traverse), HOTBOI & Tape (Soho Theatre), includes: An English Christmas, The Bride, Asian families were now much more aware of these Shelley King Laila Academy, National Gallery (London) and Bread & Butter (Tricycle), A Whistle In Gems, The Refuge, Shalom Salaam. Janet fraudulent visa hunting suitors and immigrants, both Theatre includes: Nathan The Wise the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam). She is also The Dark (Glasgow Citizens), Another began directing in 1988 as assistant to (Hampstead Theatre), Chaos (Kali national the voice of Pass Master for the award America: Fire & Awakening (Sadlers Tessa Schneideman at Loose Change honest and corrupt, were fi nding it more diffi cult to fi nd tour), Behzti (Birmingham Rep), Calcutta winning Smart Pass who produce Audio Wells), Dreams From A Summer House Theatre, producing UK premiers at BAC same race partnerspartners willing to enter into a real marriage. Kosher (Kali national tour & Stratford East), Revision Guides. She has been a member (Watermill), The Tempest (RNT Cottesloe), by Spanish authors, where she directed River On Fire (Kali), Hobson’s Choice of the BBC Radio and World Service Drama Unite For The Future (Old Vic), Dead Funny her fi rst full-length piece, White Biting Dog. However,However, mymy viewsviews wwereere cchallengedhallenged wwhenhen I llearntearnt (Young Vic), Bombay Dreams (original cast, Companies and has recorded numerous (Nottingham Playhouse), An Operatic Directing includes: Behzti (Birmingham Really Useful Theatre Co, Apollo Victoria), plays, readings, stories, features and, most Evening (ROH Linbury). For the Young Vic Rep), April in Paris, Bretevski Street, A aboutabout tthehe bbackgroundsackgrounds ooff a ffewew ((notnot aall)ll) ooff tthehe ppaperaper Besharam (Soho Theatre & Birmingham recently, Poetry for Something Understood Theatre: Winners, Interior, The Exception Hard Rain, Top Girls (Northampton Royal), marriagemarriage hhusbands.usbands. YYoung,oung, singlesingle aandnd ggenuinelyenuinely Rep), Macbeth (Theatre Unlimited), The (Radio 4). She has recorded countless audio and the Rule, The New Tennant, When The Exodus (Millennium Mysteries at Coventry books for the RNIB, BBC and ISIS, plus desperatedesperate eeconomically,conomically, ttheyhey wwereere jjustust ttryingrying ttoo mmakeake Crutch (Royal Court), Orpheus, The World Was Green, A Night At The Circus, Belgrade), Brecht’s Antigone, The Mother, Modern Husband, Ion (Actors Touring audio described fi lms for RNIB/Buena Vista. The Soul Of Ch’ien Nu Leaves Her Body, Orpheus Descending, An Ideal Husband, enoughenough mmoneyoney ttoo hhelpelp ttheirheir ffamiliesamilies bbackack hhome.ome. TTheyhey Co), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dance Action, and Streetcar To Tennessee. Romeo & Juliet, The Knockey, Serious Money weren’tweren’t interestedinterested inin conningconning thethe sstatetate oorr aanyonenyone Like a Man, Heer Ranjha, Troilus and Andy Beardmore (Rose Bruford College). For Kali: Sock ‘em Cressida, Antigone, Danton’s Death (Tara Company Stage Manager Sayan Kent Composer with Honey, Calcutta Kosher and Chaos. else,else, butbut havinghaving triedtried goinggoing downdown thethe “proper”“proper” routesroutes Arts), Damon and Pythias (Shakespeare’s Andy studied at Rose Buford College After trianing as an actress at Rose ofof eextendingxtending ttheirheir vvisas,isas, ttheyhey nnowow hhadad ttoo rresortesort ttoo Globe), Women of Troy, A Little Clay where he gained a BA (hons) in Stage Bruford, Sayan became a founder member Tabatha Sue Williams Management. Most recently Andy illegalillegal mmethods.ethods. Cart, Tartuffe (National Theatre), Top Girls of Urban Opera Theatre Company Assistant Stage Manager (Northampton Royal Theatre), Death And was Company Stage Manager for The and wrote music for and performed Tabatha has recently moved to London The Maiden (Ipswich Wolsey), Cloud 9 Ratcatcher Of Hamelin (Battersea Arts in their fi rst two shows: 72 Days and from America to work on her career in It was all these differentdifferent aspects of the immigration (Manchester Contact), The Innocent Mistress Centre). Before this, Andy stage-managed Bloody Elektra (Oval House and Albany theatre. Her previous stage management marriage “racket” that inspired me to write Paper (Derby Playhouse), Privates on Parade ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore’ (Jermyn St Empire). She also spent four years as credits include: Children Of A Lessor God (Edinburgh Royal Lyceum) and Orchids In Theatre) as part of the repertory season Thin. I was fascinated by the attraction that Britain, songwriter/performer with The Hot Doris and The Crucible (Gilbreath Theatre), The Moonlight (Loose Change Theatre Co). produced by The Actors Company. Whilst Band performing in London, Edinburgh, Keely and Du (Patchwork Theatre), Our especially London, has for foreigners, who are TV includes: Banglatown Banquet, The training Andy developed his own projects, and around the country, including TV Town (VA Memorial Theatre) and Happy prepared to give up so much for a lifestyle that we Magister, Silent Witness, Angels (2 series), including co-founding and producing for and radio appearences. Other theatre Days (Vanguard Theatre). Tabatha is Tandoori Nights (2 series), Real Women, A Sulis Productions. Andy has produced composing work includes: Chaos, Sock’em excited to begin her experience of London take for granted. I was amused, perhaps cruelly,cruelly, Secret Slave, King of the Ghetto, Rockcliffe’s and stage-managed various UK and with Honey, Bells, Calcutta Kosher (Kali), working for Kali Theatre Company. by the absurdity of some of the convoluted marital Babies, South of the Border, Brookside, international tours for Sulis Productions, Hound of the Baskervilles (Paul Farrah Casualty and The Bill. Films: Code 46 including their tour to the Adelaide Fringe arrangements. The character of Laila was inspired by an Prods), The Phantom Sausage (Wolsey/ Matthew Wright Designer and See How They Run. Radio includes: Festival 2004. Andy has also worked as a Ipswich), The Turn of the Screw, Limestone Recent theatre includes: Bezhti overheard conversation about a landlady who arranged Behind Closed Doors, The External Bubble, Stage Manager on the musical Nunsense Cowboy, Cinderella (Coventry Belgrade), (Birmingham Rep) Bells and Chaos these scams and had passed offoff an ex-husband to a Westway, The Ramayana, The Tutti Frutti (Southampton Nuffi eld) and Balti Rap, a Truckers (Harrogate), A Hard Rain (Birmingham Rep & Southwark Playhouse Holy Man, The Dreams Of Tipu Sultan and youth gun crime project in Birmingham. (Northampton), Country (New Vic Stoke), for Kali), Speaking Like Magpies (RSC and new client. numerous plays and short stories for BBC Dinosaur Dreams (Unicorn), Hot Doris West End); On The Ceiling (Birmingham Radio 4 and the World Service. Amy Beeson Assistant Director the Musical (Oval House), Factory Follies Rep and West End), Presence (Plymouth In this play,play, I’ve tried to explore the themes of dreams, Amy formed The Red Theatre Company (Croydon Warehouse). With Bob Eaton Theatre Royal), Clouds (No. 1 Tour), loneliness and love; fake, real, imagined, lustful, Alan Suri Javed and wrote, directed and acted in Murder she has co-written musical adaptations Us And Them and The Dead Eye Boy Alan trained at The Central School of In Haywood, In Suspicious Circumstances, of Silas Marner, The Good Companions (Hampstead Theatre), One Under friendly,friendly, maternal,maternal, warped, and to question our moral Speech and Drama, London. Theatre Double Jeopardy and Murder At The and pantomimes, Mother Goose, Dick (Tricycle Theatre), The Green Man (Bush and political views on race and immigration, which I credits include: The Jungle Book Majestic (Staffordshire) and The Happiest Whittington and Aladdin. Her play, Theatre & Plymouth Theatre Royal), (Bull Theatre), Tall Tails And Small Tales Day Of My Life (Birmingham Rep). She feel might not be as clear and straightforwardstraightforward as we Housewife’s Choice, was broadcast on Larkin’ With Women (West Yorkshire (Pleasant Theatre), Joan of Arc (Quicksilver studied English Literature and Creative LBC radio. Sayan continues to combine her Playhouse), Arcadia and Summer Lightning might fi rst think. & UK tour), Before the City (Redbridge Writing at the University of East Anglia, work as composer with acting, writing and (Northampton Royal), Getting To The Theatre & UK tour), Immigration where she wrote and directed a student directing. As an actress Sayan has played Foot Of The Mountain (Birmingham Rep), Azma Dar JanuaryJanuary 2006 Monologues (Southwark Playhouse), The radio play, A Fatherless. She has recently leading roles in many regional theatres Private Lives (Exeter Northcott), Four Drowned Princess (Theatre Royal Stratford completed an MA in Writing and and her TV/Film work includes: Coronation Nights In Knaresborough and Dancing East), and Romeo and Juliet (Istropolitana Performance (Theatre, Film & Television) at Street, Eastenders, Moveable Feasts, The At Lughnasa (Stoke New Vic). He is also International Theatre Festival). TV The University of York. In 2005 she directed Bill, The Big Battalions, The Paradise Club, designing Katherine de Souza (The Door, includes: The Bill, London’s Burning two benefi t plays, The Vagina Monologues Young Soul Rebels and recently Doctors. Birmingham Rep). and Crimewatch. Voiceover includes: and The Unseen Women (York University).