A Tainted Dawn – Book
| Series name | Production: A Tainted Dawn |
| Description | In 1999, the script of Tamasha’s 1997 production, ‘A Tainted Dawn’ was published in paperback by Nick Hern Books, London. We have digitised the first fifteen pages of the book which covers the first of the untitled short stories portrayed in the play. ‘A Tainted Dawn’ marked the fiftieth anniversary of Indian independence and the creation of Pakistan. It tells the tale of ordinary people who found themselves trapped on the wrong side of the hastily drawn borders in 1947. |
| Date of Creation / Publication | 1999 |
| Creator | Buchar, Sudha |
| Associated Person/ Organisation | |
| Location | London |
| Collection and Reference Number | Tamasha Theatre Company (GB 2661 TT) |
| Catalogue Number | TT/PRO/AT/3 |
| Copyright | The Creator and/ or associated person or organisation where applicable |
| Access to originals | The originals are located at Tamasha Theatre Company http:www.tamasha.org.uk |
| Series notes | A Tainted Dawn' presented by Tamasha Theatre Company, was written and adapted by Sudha Buchar and Kristine Landon-Smith in 1997 on the occasion of India's fiftieth anniversary of independence and half-century since the creation of Pakistan. The production featured a series of moving stories about the ordinary people who found themselves trapped on the wrong side of hastily drawn borders at the time of the Partition of India and the subsequent creation of Pakistan in 1947. On the occasion of India's fiftieth anniversary of independence and half-century since the creation of Pakistan, 'A Tainted Dawn' sought to remind audiences of the individual stories of 1947. Conveying the terrible scale of human displacement during this time, the play recreated the effects in sundered families, individuals migrating to Hindu-Sikh India or Muslim Pakistan, sometimes as an act of affirmation but more often out of compulsion or despair. The play was based on Tamasha's improvisations of the following short stories: 'Postbox' by S H Ajneya, 'A Leaf in the Storm' by Lalithambika Antharjanam, 'Exile' by Jamila Hashmi, 'An Indian Lauren Bacall' by Leila Keys, 'Wages of Labour' by Saadat Hasan Manto, 'The Vultures of the Parsi Cemetery' by Ali Imam Naqvi, 'Lord of the Rubble' by Mohan Rakesh, 'Pali' and 'We Have Arrived in Amritsar', both by Bhisham Sahni. The eight members of cast were Paul Bazely, Nizwar Karanj, Shaheen Khan, Parminder K Nagra, Simon Nagra, Rehan Sheikh, Badi Uzzaman and Harvey Virdi. A Tainted Dawn opened at the Gateway Theatre at the Edinburgh International Festival on 11 August 1997 and continued until 1 November 1997, during which it toured to The Tricycle Theatre, London, The Studio Theatre, Leicester, The Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Birmingham, and The Courtyard Theatre in Leeds. |
| Collection notes | The Tamasha Theatre collection consists of digitised material which relate to their productions and include items such as flyers, programmes, scripts, photographs, and stage and costume drawings. |
