The Donmar Warehouse and Tara Theatre have announced casting for the world premiere of Silence, which marks 75 years since the Partition of India.
Adapted from Kavita Puri’s critically acclaimed book Partition Voices: Untold British Stories, this new production is inspired by the stories of people who lived through the last days of the British Raj.
In 1947, the division of British India into India and Pakistan led to one of the largest migrations in human history with millions uprooted from their homes. The violent legacy of the partition has endured, however witness testimonies remain unvoiced.
The play features a team of writers, Sonali Bhattacharyya, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, Ishy Din and Alexandra Wood, who aim to capture the unspoken realities of this brutal moment in history.
Renu Brindle, Sujaya Dasgupta, Nimmi Harasgama, Bhasker Patel, Jay Saighal, Rehan Sheikh and Martin Turner make up the cast.
The production will be directed by Abdul Shayek, artistic director of Tara Theatre and designed by Rose Revitt. It also features lighting by Ciarán Cunningham, sound design and composition by Elena Peña and casting by Anna Cooper.
Abdul Shayek commented: “As a group of storytellers, we will try to capture the unbiased documentation of these stories in Kavita’s book and the very real need to recognise that this is a shared history, this is our shared history, a British story regardless of the colour of your skin.”
Silence will make its debut at the Donmar Warehouse and will run from 6 September to 17 September. The show will then make its way to the Tara Theatre, with performances from 21 September to 1 October.
Words by Katie Heyes
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