A Play, A Pie and A Pint To Present THE BROWN DOLL World Premiere

A Play, A Pie and A Pint to present the world premiere of The Brown Doll. Written by Cilla Silvia (Opening Night, Pretty Woman) and directed by Niloo Far-Khan. Performed by Sharan Atwal, Farah Ahmed, Rachel Ogilvy and Mehren Yar. Running Monday 28 April - Saturday 3 May 2025, 1pm daily (Doors 12pm, 12.30pm on Monday).

Cilla Silvia lifts the lid on her adoption story as a personal search in Sri Lanka takes a sharp turn and buried truths about the adoption system come to light 

A haunting exploration of loss, survival, and the price of motherhood,  Cilla Silvia's debut play dives into the tangled lives of three mothers—a birth mother forced to let go, a woman paid to play a role, and an adoptive mother desperate to build a family. At the centre is the adopted daughter, ready to discover where she truly belongs.

Cilla Silvia said of The Brown Doll: “Growing up ticking the box marked ‘Other', explaining to doctors that your family medical history is a mystery, and living in the limbo between cultures—it's a quiet, constant reminder that belonging isn't guaranteed. It's negotiated, withheld, and, for some of us, never quite granted.

“Curiosity pushed me to search for my birth mother, and when COVID cancelled our honeymoon to Sri Lanka, I began writing The Brown Doll. Once I started, there was no turning back. For the first time, I was ready to face the truth—but I didn't expect to uncover the dark history behind the adoption system. What began as personal quickly became political.

“Now feels like the right time to share this story—not only because I recently became a mother myself, but because the need to belong is something deeply human, and urgently relevant in today's uncertain world.

“I wrote The Brown Doll to search for truth—and to make space for voices that are too often left unheard.”

Director Niloo Far-Khan said: “Growing up with an Italian mother and a Pakistani father in Scotland has instilled in me a profound affinity for stories about belonging. "I wanted the doll that looked like me because no one else did." This sentiment beautifully encapsulates the struggle of navigating a world where I've often felt I don't quite fit— because of skin tone, language, and culture. The play masterfully highlights the notion that, as we delve into our ancestry, we often uncover a rich tapestry of identities that don't confine us to a single place. Take Brown Doll, for example; her heritage is a vibrant mix—96% Southern Indian and Sri Lankan, 2% Northern Indian, 1% South Asian, and 1% Filipino. This exploration of belonging and the quest to understand who we are connected to can ignite a thrilling journey of self-discovery. Yet, it sometimes confronts us with the harsh reality of uncovering truths we may wish to forget.

Company

Cilla Silvia (writer) is an international actor and writer based in London. The Brown Doll marks her debut as a playwright, and she is thrilled to bring it to Òran Mór. The play, longlisted for the ETPEP Award, has been carefully developed to shine a light on a powerful story. Through her writing, Cilla aims to give a voice to untold stories that deserve to be heard. 

Some of Cilla's theatre credits include: Opening Night (The Gielgud Theatre), Pretty Woman (Savoy Theatre), The Boy in The Dress (The Royal Shakespeare Theatre), The Happy Prince (The Place Theatre), Tiger Bay (Wales Millennium Centre), Twelfth Night (Park Theatre of Stockholm), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Park Theatre of Stockholm), The Last Five Years  (Theatre Studio Leiderman), We Will Rock You (Cirkus Arena), West Side Story (Stockholm City Theatre), American Idiot (Cirkus Arena), Sweeney Todd (Stockholm City Theatre), The Jungle Book (Stockholm City Theatre), Hair (Stockholm City Theatre).

Niloo-Far Khan (director) is an Edinburgh theatre-maker who believes stories can encourage us to look deeper into how we can share and navigate our sense of belonging. Her recent works include assistant directing for companies such as National Theatre of Scotland, Edinburgh International Festival, The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Dundee Rep and Grid Iron. Her directing works include: Forever Home (A Play, A Pie and A Pint), Santa's Little Astronaut (Macrobert Arts Centre), Jinnistan (A Play, A Pie and A Pint); radio plays, Finding Sea Glass (An Almost Tangible and National Theatre of Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4), The Waves: Glory, Glory an Edinburgh Story (A Holy Mountain Production in association with Tamasha, OFFIE Award Winner of Best Audio Production 2023); and co-creator of When Mountains Meet (Authentic Artist Collective and KT Producing).

Cast

Sharan Atwal is an Essex-based actor, writer, and director who has recently completed her Master's in Theatre Laboratory at RADA. Her recent credits include Mammals (Amazon), Killed by My Debt (BBC), Burn Tour (Historic Palaces), Fiesta at the Queens Theatre Hornchurch, commercials for National Rail, CarStore, Virgin Gyms, The Health Lottery. Sharan works regularly with new writing and enjoys being involved with the development of new plays. Over the past year she has been involved in R&D's based at Shakespeares Globe and with Blown Fuse Theatre Company at The Playhouse.

Farah Ahmed is a Scottish actress who has worked in theatre, television and films. She performed in the sell-out play Make Me at the Edinburgh Fringe and also starred in the television series Arm Chair Detectives and The Cry. She made her film debut in The Happylands and has since performed in several Bollywood movies.

Since graduating from RSAMD in 1986, Rachel Ogilvy has worked extensively in theatre, radio and television. From Tiffany Bowles in High Road to Dr Julie McMahon in River City, TV includes: Eastenders, Silent Witness, Taggart, Edge of Heaven, Dead Set, Family Affairs, City Lights and Irn Bru advert Get a Grip. Stage includes: The Traverse, TAG, Boilerhouse, York Theatre Royal, Bolton Octagon, The Strand Theatre - also Westminster Hour, I'm No A Billie She's a Tim and her critically acclaimed one-woman show The Crossing at Edinburgh Fringe. An established voiceover artist, member of Witsherface comedy troupe and Director of Paribus Productions.

Mehren Yar is a Spanish-Pakistani actor. Hailing from a small town in Punjab. She first took an interest in acting while participating in theatre productions in school and later pursuing filmmaking at King's College London. Alongside acting, she also enjoys screenwriting and painting. Mehren is fluent in Urdu, Spanish and English, and has a high standard of Hindi and Gulf Arabic. She recently had a supporting featured role in an unnamed TV show for Amazon Prime.

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