Conferences are a little like buses, and over the past week I was invited to participate in not one, but two, major events exploring the history, and future, of diversity as a part of our theatremaking language in the UK.
On Sunday at the V&A, the BBA Shakespeare Project at Warwick University curated a full day of conversations around diversity in Shakespeare, tying in with the V&A’s own Shakespeare 450 celebrations. Speakers included the fabulous, inspirational Rakie Ayola, Hugh Quarshie, Iqbal Khan, Tim Supple and many more. Twitter Storify here capturing some of the thoughts and ideas shared during a challenging, but hopefully ultimately optimistic day.
On Monday, at SOAS, University of London, I was a panellist at the official launch of their British Asian Theatre Archive, speaking alongside figures such as Madani Younis, Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre, and the writer and activist Suman Bhuchar. It’s quite an honour to be one of 32 people representing the journey of South Asian theatremakers in the UK over the past 40 years, and hopefully I’m part of the journey onwards and forwards. As part of the Archive, I was asked to give an uncut interview last year, outlining the story of my career to date. It’s rather long, but if anyone ever wanted a clear account of how I come to be doing what I do, and why, it’s a pretty good summary.
Suba Das Directs 