Autumn on the road...
16 August 2022As we get ready to go on an Autumn tour of Patient Light to schools across Peterborough, we’re looking back at last year’s Autumn project Our White Skoda Octavia. In fact, it was this very week last year that funding from the Rural Touring Young Directors Scheme (RTYDS) gave us the opportunity to welcome Mandeep Kaur Glover to the Our White Skoda Octavia creative team as an Assistant Director.
In rehearsals with Director Sameena Hussain
Credit: Mike Kwasniak
In rehearsals with Freny Nina Pavri
Credit: Mike Kwasniak
Mandeep joined Director Sameena Hussain and the rest of the team in the rehearsal room and for some of the tour. She also held creative workshops in Peterborough and Corby – click here to read our post-show report to find out more. Shamser Sinha’s script was inspired by interviews held with taxi drivers in Peterborough and Ipswich, it was wonderful to then be able to take the final script into new workshops and take the story in a full circle back out to community groups.
Out on tour, Our White Skoda Octavia travelled to venues near and far – from well loved Eastern Angles venues like Dennington Village Hall and our very own Sir John Mills Theatre, to new venues like the Yvonne Arnaud Studio in Guildford and Derby Theatre Studio. We also live streamed the show for audiences to watch from home taking the tour even further out than the roads!
Audiences were widely positive about the show, connecting with the universal story of how family dynamics shift through generations and with the specific experience of being a British South Asian family in the East of England. Responses included:
“An interesting production of modern social history, a moving piece of theatre, with the story of family life well told.”
Wendy Cook, Ipswich 24
“What a brilliant play, not seen something like this in a while. The song (mujh se pehli si…by Faiz Sahib) reminded me of my father who was very fond of Shayari poetry. So many subtle areas we could relate with, very well done to all of you!”
Audience Member
“The voice [writer] Sinha gives to the cab drivers and South Asian community here in the East of England has passion and poetry and is both an urgent and vital eye opener.”
Jackie Montague, East Anglian Daily Times
Production photo with Ali Arshad
Credit: Mike Kwasniak
Production photo with Gurjot Dhaliwal, Tiran Aakel and Ali Arshad
Credit: Mike Kwasniak