As part of A Season of Bangla Drama, Sunday 19th November 2023, 5:30PM we return to the iconic East London venue Rich Mix, where the East storytelling started in December 2013.
We have an exciting evening of stories and live music for you, and are thrilled to announce the incredible talent that will be taking the stage this Sunday. Farah Naz makes a return to EAST with the story of ‘The Queen of Sheba and Solomon’, we will hear the tale of ‘Rochael the Gossip’ from John Heyderman, Andy Bannister of The Black Smock Band singing ‘The Water is Wide’ and a reimagining of ‘The Sultana’s Dream’ from EAST newcomer Tasnim Siddiqa Amin. We’re also joined by musician and singer Hasan Ahmed and percussionist Michele Chowrimootoo.
The line-up also includes the three artists who’ve been leading the EAST project since 2013. Shamim Azad is a poet, storyteller and a leading figure in the British-Bengali literature scene. Sef Townsend is an internationally renowned storyteller who has performed at storytelling festivals and events from Morocco to Argentina. Paul Burgess is a musician and theatremaker, as well as the artistic director of Daedalus; he’ll be adding his blend of English and Ashkenazi violin styles to the mix.
Here are the full project credits and acknowledgements:
Andy Bannister – musician and singer
Farah Naz – storyteller
Hasan Ahmed – musician and singer
John Heyderman – storyteller
Maeve O’Neill – company associate producer
Michele Chowrimootoo – musician
Paul Burgess – musician and company artistic director
Sef Townsend – storyteller and project lead artist
Shamim Azad – storyteller and project lead artist
Tasnim Siddiqa Amin – storyteller and assistant director/producer
Massive thanks to:
Ruksana Begum and the Season of Bangla Drama team
Jack Birch and all at Rich Mix
Huge gratitude to our generous sponsors:
Mahmud Hasan
Luqueman Hussain
Selim Jahan
And our funders and partners:
Part of A Season of Bangla Drama 2023
Produced by Daedalus Theatre Company in association with Rua Arts
Over the last ten years, EAST has worked with Bishwo Shaitto Kendro UK, Numbi Arts, The Community of Refugees from Vietnam and a huge range of people from all sorts of backgrounds, through a varied programme of workshops, coaching and performances both offline and online – including the wide-ranging stories of the East Archive.
Thank you for joining us to mark ten years of cross-cultural unity and sharing.
If you saw the show and haven’t yet done the feedback form, please do – there’s a prize draw for a £25 Westfield voucher!
