This 4 month process started off with 10 weeks of up-skilling sessions at Tara Theatre. Each week focused on one department, starting with movement direction, followed by lighting, sound, set and costume design, writing, and ending with a directing workshop. These weeks were immensely crucial and exciting in building a framework for what it means to bring a show to life.

After these weeks, 11 out of the 22 were selected for the final project of What Fatima Did…

I was very grateful to play Fatima by breathing life into a character that didn’t have any say before. Workshopping her world, voice, and physical language was a wonderful challenge, working on a complicated character, flawed and full of curiosity based in the world of 2009. Adam and Nicoletta were both encouraging in the development of Fatima in such a short period of time, and it is the conversations I had with Rayan and Amanah that fully allowed us to make Fatima relatable as a young Muslim girl. Lived experiences make great stories!

Post show week, I was invited to speak to BBC Radio London about the importance of Young Companies, and paid work at the start of early career theatre makers.

CAST

• Stacey - Amaka Whitney

• Fatima - Anoushay Dar

• Mohammed - Tahir Hassan

• Aisha - Shakira Paulas

• George - Ben Lonergan

• Craig - Kent Okwesa

• Ms Harris - Marie Thorseth

CREW

• Writer - Atiha Sen Gupta

• Director - Adam Karim

• Asst Director - Rayan Ibrahim

• Producer - Neena Shea

• Stage Management - Theodor Spirdon

• Asst SM - Amanah Amin

• Movement Direction - Nicoletta Bonanni

• Design - Maariyah Sharjil

• Asst Design - Ya’eesh Godhiwala

• Lighting Design - Rajiv Pattani

• Asst Lighting - Haonan Wang

• Sound Design - Elliot Popeau-George

• Photos by Tyler Fayose