A play about Sophia Duleep Singh – a hidden story

I wrote a new play after London Grey and Green Theatre company did a call out for writers to tackle the the story of Sophia Duleep Singh, the first aristocrat of a diverse background to join the Suffragette movement and to fight for giving women the vote.

The play ran for one week at The Vault Festival and was originally titled ‘Princess Suffragette’.

Working with London Grey and Green theatre to develop this ensemble driven piece pushed myself as a theatre-maker to experiment with form and structure. As a result the demands of the piece, and the modes in which it needed to be told, attempts to capture the myriad of tragic yet vibrant events which took place in Sophia Duleep Singh’s life.

I learnt a lot from the production and really want to continue developing it. It’s left me asking questions about responsibility when it comes to capturing true stories and putting them on stage as there was a frantic-ness in the structure because of an obligation to capture as much of her life as possible. Quick decisions were also made in haste due to a lack of time.

I’ve also come to realise that parts of myself and my perspective, when understanding the story, will make it into the play no matter how much I would like to write from Sophia’s perspective. I’m currently redrafting it and hope to give it a new life and give Sophia Duleep Singh’s hidden story the true justice it deserves.

Take a listen to our interview on BBC Asian Network here.