Tara Arts announces 2017 summer season
Season preview
AS TARA Arts celebrates its 40th anniversary throughout 2017, the company continues to put the experiences of the UK’s diverse communities centre stage.
Leading the summer season at Tara Theatre and presented as a co-production with AIK Productions is Combustion (May 17 – 27), the debut play from writer/performer Asif Khan.
Set in a Bradford car mechanic shop during the month of Ramadan, this combustible new comic drama is written by Asif Khan, widely tipped as one-to-watch following his inclusion on the 2017 BBC New Talent Hotlist, chosen by Idris Elba and Tony Hall.
Following the Tara Theatre run, Combustion will transfer to the Arcola Theatre, where it will run from Tuesday, May 30 to Saturday, June 24 before touring the UK.
Award-winning Edinburgh Fringe hit Labels (April 27 – 29) which tackles mixed heritage and immigration, and new comedy about Britishness Octopus (July 12 – 15) are among several visiting shows that explore the experiences of millennials in multicultural Britain.
Ahead of a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the theatre will present An Arrangement of Shoes (July 20 – 22) a solo show by young actress Radhika Aggarwal set in an Indian railway colony during the Gulf War. Written by Award-winning Indian playwright Abhishek Majumdar – whose play The Djinns of Eidgah was seen at the Royal Court in 2016 – the production considers globalisation and identity in the Age of Faith.
The music programme boasts performances spanning genres from Indian classical to Qawwali, performed by a host of internationally recognised musicians, plus a rare chance to hear the Dhrupad style of Indian vocal music performed at Women in Music (June 3).
Through the art of live storytelling, UK music producer PKCtheFirst and international performer Peter Chand allow audiences to experience two distinctive artists bringing a fresh UK twist on traditional tales collected from South Asian elders with Tongue Tied & Twisted (June 1 and 2).
Events aimed at families include The Tales of Birbal (June 2 and 3) which draws on tales treasured for generations on the Indian subcontinent, interactive workshops with Binglish Garden Boxes (May 27) and art project A New Union Flag (May 19 and 20), where participants create a new flag to celebrate diversity.
Tara Theatre will also play host to several performances in the Wandsworth Arts Fringe, including Lobster Quadrille’s anarchic clowning show Carabet (May 6).
#Tara7070 events will continue to celebrate the 70th anniversary of India and Pakistan’s independence from the British Empire. Covering music, theatre, dance and spoken work, 70 events over the course of the year will look at how the Indian sub-continent has shaped Britain’s destiny, as much as Britain shaped modern India and Pakistan’s and illuminate the connections between the three countries. These events are marked in listings using the #Tara7070.
Speaking about the season, Artistic Director Jatinder Verma said: “The 70th anniversary of India and Pakistan’s independence provides a fitting opportunity to enjoy and explore the rich diversity of contemporary Britain. Britain’s relationship with the Indian sub-continent spanned centuries and its enduring value is in the extraordinary range of artistic talent that finds its fitting home in our unique Tara Theatre.”
For full listings and to book tickets, visit www.tara-arts.com/whats-on.