The Young Vic today releases images from the rehearsal room of Chasing Hares, a new play by award-winning playwright Sonali Bhattacharyya (Two Billion Beats) and directed by Milli Bhatia (seven methods of killing kylie jenner). The play, which won Theatre Uncut’s Political Playwriting Prize 2021, is set between the UK and West Bengal, and considers the power of storytelling in the struggle for a fairer world.
Ayesha Dharker (The Father, The Father and The Assassin) plays Chellam, with Zainab Hasan (The Welkin, Lotus Beauty) as Kajol, Scott Karim (Dracula, The Invisible Hand) as Devesh, Saroja-Lily Ratnavel (Bravo Two Charlies, Electric Rosary) as Amba and Irfan Shamji (The Ipcress File, Hamlet) as Prab, in this tale of resistance and dignity in the face of global exploitation.
By day machine operator Prab struggles to survive the precarity and brutality of his factory job in West Bengal, by night he writes stories for his baby daughter Amba. When a popular actress recruits him to write a play for her, Prab seizes the opportunity to expose the injustice of factory conditions and the rumors of child exploitation. But in his fight for change, is he ready to risk his future, his family and even his own life?
Chasing Hares is designed by Moi Tran, with lighting design by Jai Morjaria, video design by Akhila Krishnan, sound design by Donato Wharton, composition by Sarathy Korwar andmovement direction by Chi San Howard. The creative team is complete with casting director Polly Jerrold, R&D Dramaturg Guy Jones, R&D lyric consultant Jammz, audio description by Eleanor Margolies and captioning by Miranda Yates.
BSL performance: 29 July, 7.30pm
Audio Described performance: 2 & 9 August, 7.30pm
Relaxed performance: 3 August, 7.30pm
Captioned performance: 4 August, 7.30pm
Socially Distanced performance: 8 August, 7.30pm
