Tara Theatre Young Company Will Stage WHAT FATIMA DID in April

This April, eleven 18-25 year olds will make their professional theatre debut as part of Tara Theatre Young Company. They will present a fresh production of ‘What Fatima Did…’ by playwright Atiha Sen Gupta, revisiting an important work in the canon of South Asian plays. Set in a secondary school, this lively play centres on confident, party-loving Fatima, exploring young people’s authentic lived experience and social tensions. Presented at Tara Theatre, it is directed by Adam Karim (JMK and Eastern Eye Award winner, Guards at the Taj) and rounds off Natasha Kathi-Chandra’s first year as Tara Theatre’s Artistic Director. 

The themes of ‘What Fatima Did…’ include young people discovering their voices, navigating first loves and losses, and considering the role everyone can have in shaping what 'Britishness' is. Kathi-Chandra’s first season emphasises the wide range of storytelling needed to reflect the joy, contradictions and complexities that span all South Asian identities. Tara Theatre’s mission is to grow the infrastructure to support South Asian artists and to celebrate the community’s existing contemporary works, and this is the second time Sen Gupta has collaborated with Tara Theatre Young Company. 

‘What Fatima Did…’ was originally set during the spike in Islamophobia in the early 2000s. Over a short rehearsal period, Sen Gupta has been working with a cohort of seven actors and four creatives to refresh the text so that it resonates and relates with this generation, including collaborating on a new ending. 

Tara Theatre Young Company includes Anoushay Dar as Fatima, Tahir Hassan as Mohammed, Ben Lonergan as George, Kent Okwesa as Craig, Shakira Paulas as Aisha, Marie Thorseth as Ms Harris, and Amaka Whitney as Stacey. Assisting the Creative Team are Amanah Amin as Assistant Stage Manager, Ya’eesh Ghodiwala as Assistant Set and Costume Designer, Rayan Ibrahim as Assistant Director, and Haonan Wang as Assistant Lighting Designer.

Tara Theatre is the only London venue to pay its Young Company, giving emerging creatives their first professional credit and hands-on professional experience. This process creates a robust talent pool of diverse creatives and launches sustainable career pathways into the sector. 

Tara Theatre Artistic Director Natasha Kathi-Chandra said: “This revival reflects Tara Theatre’s mission to examine, grow and elevate the canon of South Asian stories, while exploring themes of Islamophobia, identity, individualism, and the meaning of ‘British values’ - issues that remain strikingly relevant nearly 20 years on. Each year, Tara Theatre Young Company brings bold energy, fresh talent, and new ideas. We can’t wait to see how they have interrogated and reimagined ‘What Fatima Did....’” 

Director Adam Karim said: “There's more to Tara Theatre Young Company than just 'doing a play'. We’re providing an introduction to the bones of theatremaking. As an industry, we are crying out for the next generation of creatives in all aspects of theatremaking, from technical, artistic and backstage. This is the only organisation I know of to include that training and experience on its youth programmes.”