Writers revealed for Tara Theatre’s brand new writer development programme NOVA

30 August 2022

We are excited to reveal the writers taking part in NOVA – Tara Theatre’s brand new seed commission and writer development program for writers of South Asian heritage or connections. Through this pilot program, we aim to expand the canon of South Asian voices and uncover stories of how contemporary narratives around current themes affect our communities. NOVA seed commissions will be supporting projects that explore the key themes of Tara Theatre’s future seasons.

Tara Theatre’s Artistic Associate Natasha Kathi-Chandra shares, “We have been  so inspired by all the ideas, pitches and scripts that came to us through NOVA by writers of South Asian heritage or connections about all our contemporary themes. It makes us excited for the future and for what is to come from our chosen writers with bold stories to tell about clashes with tech giants, borders and bills, the cost of capitalism and the choice to have children with the climate  emergency, and an eccentric dream about an ex-conservative Prime Minister. I cannot wait!”

Find out more about the exciting new writers taking part in NOVA below.

MEET THE WRITERS

ROMO SIKDAR-RAHMAN

Romo Sikdar-Rahman is an actor and writer trained at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. He enjoys writing about the enduring ties of family and the strengths of friendship. He’s born and raised in East London and was a computer scientist in an another life. Acting credits include Julius Caesar at The Space Theatre and EastEnders.

PRIYANKA JHA

As a graduate in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Priyanka asks questions about the socio-political world we live in today through her work. Her pieces are sometimes auto-biographical, but even if they are not explicitly drawn from her life experiences, always feature protagonists who like them experience ‘othering’, whether this is because of ethnicity, disability, sexuality or gender. They are interested in exploring how identity affects a character’s perception of the world and the barriers they face within it.

BUSHRA LASKAR

Bushra is a writer and actor based in London. She was an Emerging Artist of Colour Fellow with New York Theater Workshop and in year 4 of Tamasha’s Playwrights group. Her writing includes stage play Sanguine Night (Park Theatre Accelerator/ RADA Festival), audio play The Questions We Ask (co commission between Tamasha and SOAS), self-performed one woman piece Rice from my Mother’s Hand (Tara Theatre) and short story The Lion’s Mouth (The Good Journal). She is currently working on her first novel.

VIVEK NITYANANDA

Vivek Nityananda moved to the UK from Bengaluru, India where he has acted in and co-created plays. Since 2013, he has been based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, where he collaborates with the theatre company Cap-A-Pie and is a member of the improv group Let Us Make It Up To You. His short play ‘The Big Welcome‘ was produced by Live Theatre, Newcastle in 2021. He is also a published author and illustrator and is working on a non-fiction book on overconfidence. When he isn’t writing, he researches how insects see and think.

WHAT’S NEXT

Stay tuned to our social media, upcoming shows, and new announcements to follow the NOVA writers’ progress.