12th August – Punjab to the Potteries – New Vic Theatre

And another one for Saturday … this one is for Saturday evening …. It is at the New Vic Theatre and admission is free, but you do need to book yourself in.   You will probably remember back in April I had a chat on air with Val Bansal and photographer Sam Ivin about a project called ‘Punjab to the Potteries’.  Val’s father had migrated here in 1964, and had shared his story of the highs and lows involved with that.  Local Arts group ‘Appetite’ found the story so interesting that they invited people with South Asian heritage who had stories of migration from the Punjabi region to the Potteries to share their stories which would then be made into plays.  This Saturday, after months of hard work gathering information, writing scripts, taking photographs …. the Punjab to the Potteries celebration event will be held at the New Vic.  The two new plays will be read in the auditorium by actors, there will be an accompanying photography exhibition, and there will be food and music too! As I said earlier – Tickets are free but need to be booked. For more information and to book free tickets, visit appetite.org.uk.

APPETITE AND THE NEW VIC CELEBRATE LOCAL PUNJABI COMMUNITY IN TWO NEW PLAYS

Earlier in the year Appetite and the New Vic invited people to tell them their stories as part of the Punjab to the Potteries project. Building on work with the area’s South Asian communities, two scriptwriters were commissioned to each research and write an exciting new short play inspired by the journeys of those who have migrated from the Punjab region to The Potteries and surrounding areas. Photographic artist Sam Ivin also worked on the project, capturing portraits of members of the community.

The evening of Saturday 12 August from 7pm at the New Vic Theatre sees the celebration of the Punjab to The Potteries project. Audience members will be able to view the exhibition, enjoy refreshments, listen to music and then experience actors reading the two short plays written by Sarah Bedi and Shahid Iqbal Khan. Tickets are free and need to be booked in advance from the New Vic Box Office.

The two scriptwriters have strong links to the South Asian community and spent two weeks conducting research in the area, submersing themselves in the culture, meeting and talking to members of the local community. Sarah Bedi and Shahid Iqbal Khan have used all these stories to inspire their plays.

Sarah Bedi is a writer and director with many credits to their name including Memories of the Pot Bank Workers (V&A Museum). Sarah is developing research on Wellbeing in the Arts and has worked extensively with young people, from directing Further than the Furthest Thing for the Young Vic, to facilitating drama workshops for the National Theatre, the BRIT School and many others. Bedi’s play centres on the journey of a woman and her family who leave the Punjab to forge a new future in Stoke-on-Trent, each experiencing different challenges along the way.