Soulfire Theatre

Projects

Medea by Jean Anouilh (2009)

It is hard for all things to be born into this world,
And it is hard for them to die…

Medea is one of the eternal myths by which we understand more about the world and ourselves, as we appreciate something of what it is to be both the ultimate 'outsider' and a consummate 'insider'. Jean Anouilh's play is an adaptation to the modern world of a myth about a woman scorned because of expediency and obliterated in the process. She exacts revenge in the only way left open to her. Anouilh's version is realistic and tense: Medea has no way out, and the consequences are terrible.

The play performed at the annual Bangla Drama Season (2009) by five actors from the Bangladeshi British community. Four non professional actors worked with one professional and the director, Hussain Ismail, to produce this powerful play. It was the first specially commissioned production in English and brought a new audience to the Bangla Drama Season. The play was a huge success. The audience was moved and mesmerised by the intensity and passion of the play.

The second performance took place at Departure in Limehouse. Hussain Ismail, the director, used the smaller performance space to make the overwhelming passions and movements in the play much tighter and focused, giving the audience a closer and much more concentrated experience.

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A cup of tea (March 2009)

This short play by Hussain Ismail was performed at the 'A Cup of Teas Solves Everything Festival' organised by Other Asias. The festival was held at Departure in March 2009. Hussain Ismail also directed the play.

Reading of Algebra (April 2009)

As part of developing new work from the community Soulfire organised a reading of Hussain Ismail’s new play ALGEBRA at Departure in April 2009.

East End Futures (June 2009)

At Tower Hamlets College

Hussain Ismail was asked to run workshops in June 2010 on the theme of East End Futures with students from first year A level courses. Through workshops Hussain scripted a play that the students performed at a showcase event. The audience loved the short play which was evocative, surreal and poetic - the hall mark style of playwright Hussain Ismail.

Soulfire Tigers at Langdon Park Community School (August 2009)

In the summer of 2009 Soulfire Tigers ran 7 days of workshops in Brazilian drumming, drama and art to create a performance based on theme of the FOREST. 30 children brought energy and imagination to the creative project. After only 7 workshops they produced an electric performance in front of their parents, brothers, sisters and friend at Langdon Park Community School.

Soulfire theatre going project (2007)

In 2007 Hussain Ismail was awarded money from UnLtd to take young Bangladeshi British adults to the theatre. He collaborated with Soulfire Theatre to take them to watch opera, musicals and drama. They watched plays in English, Bengali, French and many other languages. Over 100 people participated in this scheme. The company has a mission not only to create future theatre artists from the Bangladeshi British community but also encourage people to go to theatre.

Fresh I (March 2007)

Fresh I was the first work produced by Soulfire Theatre. It was a piece devised by a group of young Bangladeshi British adults from Tower Hamlets based on their experiences. The story was about a married man who had lost his job and could not admit to his family that he could not provide for them anymore.

It was devised over a period of 12 weeks in 2 hourly workshops a week. With very limited time the group was able to produce a riveting piece that was shown to an audience of 40 people at Queen Mary London University drama studio.

Fresh II (July 2007)

Fresh II was a series of devised pieces that was more unusual and surreal. There were three pieces created by the young adults on themes of torture in a remote place, suicide and loss in Whitechapel, and the final piece, impossible love in a village in Bangladesh.

The same process and format was adopted - 12 weekly workshops. Although the pieces were more remote from their immediate experiences the young adults were able to imbue the devised pieces with a realism and pathos that was striking and original.

Blood Wedding (August 2008)

Blood Wedding was the largest project to date and was funded by a major grant from A4A. It involved 20 young people from Bangladeshi origin working with a mixed group of professionals to stage this intense and poetic play written by one of the greatest 20th century playwrights - Federico Garcia Lorca.

The challenge was to get a group of non-professional actors to stage the production in two months with only 6 hours of workshops per week. The intensity of the process matched the intensity of the script but the result was amazing! The energy produced by the young people over the summer of 2008 produced a moving and expressive rendition of Blood Wedding that mesmerised the audience of 120 people at Departure Arts Centre in Limehouse.

Soulfire Tigers

Tarling East Estate 2007 and 2008 (Shadwell Ward)

Children have a natural energy and imagination that is truly creative. Soulfire Tigers (the children's strand of Soulfire Theatre) believes that this needs only to be given direction and encouragement - the children will do the rest. Over 30 children performed in their own housing estate in front of their parents and peers. The show consisted of Brazilian drumming (Samba), drama, dance, drum making and artwork. The children created a total performance over a period of two weeks (two hours per day). The project in Tarling Estate is now in its third year (summer 2009) and hopes to continue the work with many of the children from the previous years along with new participants. The project was supported and funded by local funders including Tower Hamlets Community Housing.

Hobson's Place Estate 2008 (Spitalfields Ward)

The energy of the children on Hobson's Estate was tremendous. It was the first time that they had done anything like this on their own estate. In a space of two weeks Soulfire Tigers was able to galvanise the children into a performance group. The professional tutors guided them and released their imagination to create a truly energetic and vibrant performance with Brazilian drumming, drama, dance and artwork, producing a total performance that the estate had never seen before. This is another estate belonging to Tower Hamlets Community Housing which also funded the project on this estate.

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