Shahid Nadeem and Anwar Akhtar

Event:  Dara opens at the National Theatre

Event Details:  adapted by Tanya Ronder, from Shahid Nadeem’s play originally performed by Ajoka Theatre, Pakistan

1659. Mughal India. The imperial court, a place of opulence and excess;. Two brothers, whose mother’s death inspired the Taj Mahal, are heirs to this Muslim empire. Now they fight ferociously for succession. Dara, the crown prince, has the love of the people – and of his emperor father – but younger brother Aurangzeb holds a different vision for India’s future. Islam inspires poetry in Dara, puritanical rigour in Aurangzeb.Tanya Ronder’s adaptation of Shahid Nadeem’s Dara spans the princes’ lives from cradle to grave – An intense drama of global consequence – for India then and for our world now.

Dates: Booking from Jan 20^th  – 4^th Apr 2015

National Theatre
Upper Ground
South Bank
London SE1 9PX

General Booking site: www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/dara

Event Promotion: Shahid Nadeem, writer and director of the original version of Dara, is joined by Production Consultant Anwar Akhtar to discuss the play and its journey with Ajoka Theatre, also looking at the broader cultural landscape of Pakistan, and the many links between Pakistan and Britain, at a National Theatre Platform.Chaired by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.

Date: Monday 26 January, 6pm

National Theatre
Upper Ground
South Bank
London SE1 9PX

Booking site for talk with the director: www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover/platforms/shahid-nadeem-and-anwar-akhtar

City Sikhs network members discount:  There is code for to book at discounted rate (£3) for the talk using the code DARAREADER