KANPUR: 1857 Will Come to Tron Theatre Glasgow
Written by and starring Niall Moorjani, the show features a live soundtrack by tabla player Sodhi.
The Edinburgh Fringe First winning sell-out production Kanpur: 1857 will come to the Tron Theatre on 27 June, in association with Glasgow Mela. The performance is on 27 June 2026.
Written by and starring Niall Moorjani and co-directed and starring Jonathan Oldfield, Kanpur: 1857 is a comedic and explosive reckoning with colonial history in today's world. Strapped to a cannon, an Indian rebel answers to a British officer for the crimes of Kanpur – an Indian uprising against British colonial forces. Based on historical events, this play comically satirises contemporary conflicts around gender, colonial violence, and making art in times of crisis. But who is the hero and who is the villain in this clever and satirical retelling? Whatever happens, it's going to be explosive.
Moorjani wrote Kanpur: 1857 in response to the turmoil and conflict that define our turbulent world today, focusing on voices that have been silenced by history. Kanpur: 1857 confronts Britain's failure to acknowledge the Indian lives lost to colonial violence. It is an audacious and comedic gut-punch that demands audiences to confront the past with wit, acknowledgement, and laughter – acting as a theatrical monument to those that history has overlooked.
It has an electrifying live soundtrack to the chaos of colonial rule from Scottish-Indian tabla player Sodhi, and Talking Tabla accompanies this examination of contemporary conflicts around gender, colonial violence and making art in times of crisis.
Moorjani says of the show “Kanpur: 1857 is an explosive, heart-driven, satirical take on a moment in Indian history that was deeply defined by British colonialism. The show is utterly inspired by that moment and time period, but also, it's inspired by what's happening in the world now: it looks at themes of colonial oppression and at how we can ethically resist colonial violence, and this is a theme that feels inherently relevant right now across the world. But it is also a show about love: it's got a trans love story at its core. It's a show that couldn't be more relevant to now despite being set 168 years ago.”
Written by and starring Niall Moorjani (Mohan: A Partition Story, Scottish Storytelling Centre; A Fairie Tale, The Tank Theatre), and co-directed by and starring Jonathan Oldfield, director of 2024's Best Newcomer Award-winning show (Time of the Week, BBC Radio 4; The Power, Amazon; The Mosinee Project, Untapped/New Diorama).
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