The 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent into India and Pakistan saw millions uprooted and resulted in unspeakable violence. It has shaped modern Britain forever. Witnesses to this brutal moment in history live among us, yet the stories of that time remain shrouded in silence.   

75 years later, Silence a new play focused on communal storytelling, is presenting a shared history inspired by the remarkable personal testimonies of people who lived through the last days of the British Raj. The production examines the legacy this brutal moment in history leaves us with today.“It was a great tragedy. We were friends one day and enemies the next. I will take these things to  my grave.”

Commissioned to mark the 75th anniversary, Silence is adapted from journalist Kavita Puri’s acclaimed book Partition Voices: Untold British Stories and is a co-production between the West End theatre The Donmar Warehouse and the Tara Theatre. Tara, is the UK’s first and only theatre dedicated to telling south Asian stories.

For over four decades, Tara Theatre has supported the emergence of generations of South Asian performers, writers, directors, musicians and choreographers, and toured extensively both nationally and internationally. Under Artistic Director Abdul Shayek’s leadership Tara Theatre is continuing this work and more, creating innovative, politically charged theatre harnessing the power of co-creation.

Abdul Shayek, Artistic Director of Tara Theatre, said "As Britain holds up a mirror to its colonial history that has shaped our present day reality, many of us are asking questions of our past and who we are. 2022 provides us with the last big milestone before we lose the survivors and their living memory, giving us the chance to understand the human cost of what occurred in 1947, retelling the stories of those who survived Partition and came to the UK. As a group of storytellers we will try to capture the unbiased documentation of these stories in Kavita's book and the very real need to recognise that this is a shared history, this is our shared history, a British story regardless of the colour of your skin."

And it does indeed to do this, but unfortunately some of the impact is lost because of the form in which the storytelling takes. As documentary theatre, much of it is just the actors monologuing to the audience for long stretches. Although there are a handful of scenes, in which there is more show, don’t tell, and the audience are pulled back in to the theatricality, they are few and far between. Those that are there however, are captivating and alight with gentle humour and poignant poetry that immerse you into the daily lives of the survivors and you can’t help but feel that more scenes and less monologues would not only keep the audience’s attention, but drive the message home even more.

Despite this, even just the fact that such stories are being shared on a national stage in the UK, is incredible progress and a sign of what can be achieved by a commitment to diverse storytelling. As the longest running global majority led theatre Tara are driving change within the UK theatre landscape, addressing the lack of diversity and representation and challenging the industry. Outside of Wandsworth, Tara Theatre works across the UK and internationally, with a focus on cities with large South Asian diaspora communities, including Greater Manchester, Leicester, Coventry, Birmingham, Derby and Leeds. Internationally they are focused on cities within the South Asian region, as well as cities in other regions with large South Asian diaspora communities.

Michael Longhurst, Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse, said “We are delighted to be collaborating with Tara Theatre for the first time with this vital new play, specially commissioned to mark the 75 th anniversary of the Partition of India. The play tells the remarkable true stories of those involved in such a key moment in history, inspired by extraordinary testimony and acknowledging events that need to be spoken of in Britain.”

The play is written by Sonali Bhattacharyya, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, Ishy Din and Alexandra Wood and is directed by Tara Theatre Artistic Director Abdul Shayek. The stellar cast includes Renu Brindle, Sujaya Dasgupta, Nimmi Harasgama, Bhasker Patel, Jay Saighal, Rehan Sheikh and Martin Turner, all of whom show their personal passion for the story through their performances. The production ran at the Donmar Warehouse from the 6th til the 17th September, and will now move to Tara Theatre from the 21st of September until 1 October.