See Me (2023)
A new creative project for Muslim young women in the East Midlands
SEE ME is a creative participation project we are running over Spring-Summer 2023, alongside the development of our next play, LIBERATION SQUARES by Sonali Bhattacharyya.
We are working with young Muslim women in the East Midlands, supported by funding from Awards for All and the Thomas Farr Charity. We’re running a series of free weekly sessions for Nottingham-based Muslim women aged 16-22, where they will collaborate with us to create their own graphic novel inspired by the story and themes of LIBERATION SQUARES. Sessions will be led by illustrator Sayra Begum, and there will also be the opportunity to talk with Sonali about the play’s story and themes, to influence the further development of the script.
This project follows on from initial participation work that we ran in Spring 2021, with funding from Arts Council England. We held a series of weekly Zoom workshops with Muslim teenage girls from Derby and Nottingham: giving them the opportunity to feed into the development of LIBERATION SQUARES.
The group discussed the themes, explored their own experiences of being a Muslim teenager, and shared some perspectives around how the themes relate to their own lives. These contributions have been vital in shaping the further development of the script, influencing Sonali’s thoughts around the character developments and plot.
LIBERATION SQUARES
Liberation Squares’ is a new play by Sonali Bhattacharyya which explores the story of three Muslim schoolgirls as they are drawn into activism and try to express their individual identities, influenced by everything from graphic novels to superhero stories to real-life activists and organisers who’ve stood up to injustice. It premieres at Nottingham Playhouse from 12th to 27th April 2024, followed by a 5-6 week national tour.
After the successes of her plays TWO BILLION BEATS and CHASING HARES in 2022, we’re thrilled to be working with Sonali to realise this important story.
We have just launched SEE ME (24) . Find out more.
