THREE SAT UNDER THE BANYAN TREE Comes To Tara Theatre

Tara Arts and Polka Theatre have today announced that their co-production of Three Sat Under The Banyan Tree is set to head on a UK tour from 20th January - 2nd March 2019. The production originally played at The Polka Theatre in September 2018.

Three Sat Under The Banyan Tree is the first ever stage adaptation of The Panchatantra (India's Aesop's Fables) in the UK. Directed by Tara Arts' Artistic Director Jatinder Verma, this children's piece for ages 7 - 12 incorporates masks, movement and music.

Near the foothills of the Himalayas, three refugees open a magical book under a Banyan tree. Stories of a headstrong crow, a brave mongoose, and a tortured tiger come vibrantly to life, with masks, movement and music, to offer lessons for the young refugees seeking to re-make their lives.

This three-hander includes Rose-Marie Christian in the role of Jayaben, Halema Hussain in the role of Yasmin and Raj Swamy in the role of Mahendra.

Rose-Marie Christian's theatre credits include Tales from the Arabian Nights (London Bubble), Dick Whittington, Aladdin, Home Theatre (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Does My Bomb Look Big In This (Bush Theatre), Little Revolution (Almeida), Two Boys (English National Opera), Acting Up (Rich Mix), The Crucible (Talawa), Absolute Return (Orange Tree Theatre), Suffocation and Bussing It (Oval House). Her film credits include Still Life (Still Life Productions), Escape and Rinsers.

Halema Hussain trained at ALRA. She is a bilingual actress and proud member of Dangerous Space, created by Barbara Houseman and Nastazja Somers. Theatre credits include Trixie in She Had Beautiful Handwriting For a Junkie (Theatre N16) and Aisha in Does My Bomb Look Big In This? (UK Tour). She also played Zainab/Hasina in Sudha Bhuchar's Child of the Divide (UK/TORONTO Tour), and Marry Warren in Arthur Miller's The Crucible (ALRA).

Raj Swamy is making his professional debut with Tara Arts since graduating from East 15 Acting School, where he studied BA World Performance. Raj has been involved in television productions such as Bad Education (BBC) and Birds of a Feather (BBC) and recently played the role of Kharak in feature film Red Joan (Trademark Films) alongside Judi Dench.

Artistic Director Jatinder Verma says: "Bringing stories such as Shamser Sinha's brilliant new take on India's classic fables, reminds us that diversity is for all, young and old; offering powerful ways for making connections with other cultures and worlds."

Peter Glanville Polka Artistic Director says: "Polka Theatre are delighted to have collaborated with Tara Arts on this production, bringing to life some of the classic Panchatantra tales for a new generation of children. The show was very well received during its run at Polka, and we are thrilled that it will now be shared with a wider audience of children and families on tour."