Anisha Pucadyil, Author at North West End UK

Same, Same, But Different – Brixton House

26Jul

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Same, Same, But Different – Brixton House

‘Same, same, but different’ is a rocking blockbuster. It packs the romance, the relationship's transformation and deepening, and almost a decade of the queer couple in an hour-long play! With its keen perception of the lived realities of mixed-race couples, heteronormative families, and insensitive work environments, it is crafted with finesse to hit a nerve across broader demographics. This play must be seen, celebrated, talked about and seen again. We meet the endearing characters of Cam and Jesse at the age-old queer meet cute outside the dance hall. Though one is familiar with all the beats of romance, it is refreshing to see a queer and non-binary couple express their love, friendship, commitment and decision-making on stage. The agony and ecstasy of romance is scene painted with t...

8Jul

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Olive Jar – Grand Junction

Olive Jar is an important community project that brings to the forefront stories of reminiscence, connection and yearning from Iraq - Assyrian, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Algeria, Palestine, and Iraq. In typical hospitality of communities, the audience is welcomed with warm tea. The play is set in the Grand Junction inside St Mary Magdalene's church, a fine example of Grade 1 Gothic Revival architecture. As the last rays of the setting sun light the altar, the stage lights up with a wide array of lights. The stage is covered with vibrant colours of the Middle Eastern and South African flags. One is captivated from the first moment as the actors take the stage. This was the first time some of the actresses and actors ever performed on stage! The play is fascinating because by watching...

1Jun

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

30 and Out – Pleasance Theatre

Kit Sinclair's new work '30 and Out' chronicles the ins and outs of understanding one's gender and sexual expression, albeit not in one's teens. Based on Sinclair's honest journey, the solo show also intersperses audio recordings of interviews conducted with lesbians from diverse ages and lived realities. The show is funny, engaging and heartwarming. Kit Sinclair is such a talented artist; with her wit, charm, and an eclectic multiverse of characters, she brings to the front so many nuances of accepting oneself and allowing them to flourish as lesbian/non-binary. Following a successful sell-out Brighton Fringe run, '30 and Out' is spending this week in London at The Pleasance, ahead of concluding its mini tour at 53two in Manchester. Presented by Prentice Productions and assisted by her...

Every Leaf A Hallelujah – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

27May

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Every Leaf A Hallelujah – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

The play follows the quest of determined Mangoshi, who is searching for a unique flower for her ill mother. Encouraged by her caring father and led by the sassy chief of trees 'Baobab', we are immediately immersed into this world of colour, beauty and grace of trees and abundance. In straightforward language, the play makes space for different emotions, from curiosity to fear, which would be an excellent tool for parents and teachers to pick up with students after watching the play. The play also illustrates how the 'mycorrhizal network' supported by the mycelium fungi helps trees pass messages about their joy and pain to one another. Based on Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri's new fairytale, Every Leaf A Hallelujah. The play brings together music, poetry, movement and transformation for our p...

31Mar

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

You Bury Me – Orange Tree Theatre

‘You Bury Me’ unearths a young woman's longing for hope, her city and love. Don’t miss the show for its heartfelt performance and fantastic script. Ahlam's 'You Bury Me' is a coming-of-age love letter to adolescent curiosity, revolution and cities. Set in Cairo, it captures the life and times of young teenagers a few years after the Arab spring revolution. The Paines Plough co-production, interspersed with vigorous ensemble choreography and pop culture references, realistically brings on stage friends, bloggers, and students' lives, expressing themselves against the backdrop of an almost invisible oppressive regime. Set to the noise and chaos of a bustling city portrayed through its soundscapes and poetry. Cairo is like the character for the author, a muse and a longing. The team's c...

24Mar

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Trade – Pleasance Theatre

Ella Dorman-Gajic's Trade comes to Pleasance theatre. A gripping tale with powerful performances by Katarina Novkovic, in the lead role of Jana, superbly supported by Eleanor Roberts and Ojan Genc. Trade follows the life of Jana, who gets hoodwinked into the European trafficking industry but rises to power to claim her autonomy. Trade was awarded an OffComm commendation by the OFFIE Awards. Trade gives us a taste of some of the manipulation, deception, and violence meted out on women to submit to being involved in the sex trade. It can reflect on the socio-economic politics of gender lack of sexual health awareness of the clientele survivors of trafficking, and modern slavery has to put up with. The artistically integrated captions make Trade accessible to d/Deaf audiences...

22Mar

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Ophelia Rewound – Applecart Arts

Honest and vulnerable exploration of the artist's experience and reflections on attempted suicide. The piece has evolved over the three years of lockdown, and writer, director & performer Antigoni Spanou starts at that moment of transformation and reconsideration of 'Ophelia' choosing to reflect and hold on to her breath. Superbly supported in projection mapping, sound and lighting design by Joseph Thorpe. The character's imaginations and reflections get projected, transporting the audience from spirals of the mind to a meditative waterfall. The one-act play moves the audience from passive observers to actively recreating characters on stage, playing games and drinking tea parties! Even if you are not on stage with the actor, you are thinking through what you would reply to that...

That’s Not My Name – Hen and Chickens Theatre

11Mar

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

That’s Not My Name – Hen and Chickens Theatre

That's not my name Is a powerful solo performance by Sammy Trotman as she is delving through the maze of living with a diagnosis. She is funny, sharp and thought-provoking. Sammy centres her personal experience and uses her keen observation to her advantage. She can create memorable characters like the nurse who hates their work at a psychiatric hospital to a child expressing intense emotions. The collection of stand-alone pieces leaves you on the edge of your seat, as one is not sure if one is empathetically laughing at a private mental breakdown, sniggering at another's misery or resonating at a behaviour we observe in oneself. Sammy's observations span intergenerational trauma, reactions of loved ones to mental illnesses and co-dependent relationships. Her observations are astute, mi...

10Mar

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

The Wolves – The Space Theatre

The one act play is a coming of age drama of a young American Female soccer team. Set around the gossip and warm up banter of nine adolescent female athletes it puts in spotlight issues of mental health, abortion, consent, teamwork and grief. The actors who have recently graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts have set up Orange Peel productions following the success of their graduation shows. The play reflects the spunky energy of The Space Theatre (Isle of Dogs) is aligned very well with the production and the actors' energy lends it to be as big as a football pitch and as tiny as a player's mind. The Physical theatre that combines choreography, dialogue and authentic performances by each of the actresses is very moving. Though the beginning felt like a heady garble of ...

<strong>On The Ropes – Park Theatre</strong>

11Jan

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

On The Ropes – Park Theatre

Justice delayed is justice denied. ‘On the ropes’ is an autobiographical musical of Vernon Vanriel, co-written with Dougie Blaxland. The thought-provoking play recreates the life and hardships faced by Vernon Vanriel in 12 rounds. The play centres on the experience of a charismatic lightweight boxer from his rise to fame to his challenges with poverty, bipolar and coke. Until his painful marooning on the Jamaican Islands due to insensitive and unjust home office rules. It is a testament to the 57,000 people affected by the Windrush Scandal and those ‘whose rights and freedom are denied by arbitrary acts of injustice.’ Amber James and Ashley D Gayle accompanying our protagonist enthusiastically bring the chorus to life. They portray the entire gamut of accents, pathos, kindness and gr...