The Little Clay Cart at the National Theatre, 1991. Vincent Ebrahim as Charudatta, J.D. Kelleher as Sharvilaka and Nizwar Karanj as Maitreya. Copyright of Richard Mildenhall, courtesy of the National Theatre Archive.

Retracing Our Footsteps: From South London to the South Bank

Bhuchar Boulevard celebrates the tenure of Tara Theatre’s founder, Jatinder Verma, through excerpts of Tara Theatre’s prominent works, a visit to the Nional Theatre Archive, and the celebration of Professor Jerri Daboo’s book about this pioneering legacy.

The evening at Tara Theatre will focus on its theatre journey from grassroots activism to the mainstream stages and will feature readings and Q&A with invited guests. The event will showcase a unique genre of innovative work in the South Asian theatre canon and how it speaks to aspects of contemporary South Asian identity.

Audiences will experience the rich cultural contribution made by Tara Theatre, fostering inter-generational dialogue between South Asian creatives and communities, enabling them to feel seen, heard and appreciated.

There will be a Q&A with Jatinder Verma; designer, Magdalen Rubalcava: actors, Bhasker Patel, Sudha Bhuchar, Shaheen Khan, Shelley King and author, Jerri Daboo.

Reading/s directed by Tara Theatre’s artistic director, Natasha Kathi-Chandra.

Jerri Daboo’s book, Jatinder Verma by Routledge will be available on sale for a special price.

Retracing Our Footsteps is an initiative by Bhuchar Boulevard to accelerate the development of an Asian theatre playwriting archive. The event will be from 6.30-8pm in the theatre followed by networking and cash bar till 9pm. The event is free but booking is advised.

This event is supported by the Mayor of London, Arts Council Heritage Fund, Wandsworth Borough of Culture with support from University of Exeter, and Tara Theatre.