Eighteen new plays for the inaugural New Play Commission Scheme (NPCS) have been announced today by the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) in partnership with HighTide theatre company, UK Theatre and the Independent Theatre Council.
Divisions within society have started to rise to the surface post 2016; tensions revolving around multiculturalism, community, social cohesion and social mobility, issues we all find ourselves addressing introspectively as well as discussing out in the open. Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti’s A Kind of People delves into the lives of various people within modern British society, exploring societal inequalities that impact on the lives of many. As we approach the new decade, we find ourselves confronting many truths, conversations that are vital to improving lives and pushing society forward. Ahead of the show’s opening at The Royal Court from 5th December, Gurpreet tells us more about the show.
Friday night on the fringes of the city and someone’s having a party. It seems like a laugh, but not everyone’s having fun.
Gary and Nicky have been together since school. Gary’s going for a promotion so he can get his family out of their council flat and give Nicky everything she deserves.
Anjum and Mo are used to aiming for the best. And doing whatever it takes to get it. Gary’s sister Karen is more interested in having a life than fighting for any cause.
Mark is just…always there. And Victoria, Victoria wants to dance with somebody…
“It’s a good place. Keep watching and one day it’ll be ours.”
Written by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti and Directed by Michael Buffong, A Kind of People ‘is set amidst a contemporary British community, and asks how it’s possible to get on when the odds are stacked against you’. Starring Richie Campbell, Thomas Coombes, Claire-Louise Cordwell, Asif Khan, Petra Letang, Amy Morgan and Manjinder Virk, the production will premiere at the Royal Court Theatre from 5th December and runs until 18th January 2020.
With success at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, it was only a matter of time before award winning playwright, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti would see her timely play, Khandan transfer to London’s Royal Court Theatre. A timely piece of theatre looking at family, relationships, generational ideals and cultural clashes, it’s no wonder Khandan has received acclaim both with their audiences and reviewers alike. Khandan plays until Saturday 28th June, and Theatrefullstop was lucky enough to speak to one of it’s stars, Rez Kempton about playing the ambitious Pal!
On first walking in, the set of Khandan seemed clean and tidy to an almost clinical level – not the sort of place you would find in a normal family home. However, as the play began, a clutter started to build up and the set burst to life. There was something so believably real about the suburban kitchen I found myself sitting in. It was easy to forget you were watching a play, and not simply the lives of real strangers. The audience were entirely included in the set as photos in frames and wall lamps took up all four walls of the theatre, not just the wall at the back.
