Join us in celebrating our Punjab to The Potteries project by coming along to the play reading of two new short plays, commissioned by Appetite and New Vic, inspired by the journeys of local people whose families began their story in the Punjab region before settling in The Potteries.
Two playwrights with strong ties to the South Asian community – Shahid Iqbal Khan (Love Across the Ages, BBC Radio 4, 2022) and Sarah Bedi (The Process, The Bunker Theatre, 2023) – will each be creating a new 30-minute play influenced by the memories, oral histories and mementoes of the people they meet in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme.
The play reading will be done in the New Vic auditorium by actors. Unlike regular performances you may have seen at the theatre, there won’t be a set or costumes. The actors will be rehearsing to very tight timelines and may still be using scripts. This is where you come in by giving us feedback on what you’ve seen, contributing to what will hopefully become full productions in the future.
Included as part of the celebration evening is a photographic exhibition, which can be viewed at the theatre on the night. Sam Ivin, whose work documenting human migration into Stoke-on-Trent was shown during the Settling exhibition in 2019, will be producing portraits of some of the people who shared their stories during the project. Val Bansal, who originated the idea behind the Punjab to the Potteries project, will also be displaying photographs of the local South Asian community.
We would love you to come along, see the exhibition, enjoy the plays and some food, and sharing your thoughts on the work inspired by members of the public.
‘A very enjoyable, thought-provoking and moving play.’
The Theatre Times on Shahid Iqbal Khan’s play 10 Nights
‘Bedi’s play is full of empathy, anger, and pleasingly dark humour.’
The Stage on The Process, written and directed by Sarah Bedi
Date: Saturday 12 August
Welcome plus exhibition viewing: 7.00pm
Play reading: 7.30pm with an interval
Cost: free