Synopsis:
New Normal follows friends Aaravi, Minal, and Smriti as they navigate the past, present, and future after the unexpected arrival of people from the old world—Earth. Why have they come, and how will they adapt? When the trio meets Diya, they quickly realize that their world is about to change in ways they never imagined.
New Normal is an original play which has resulted from an exciting international collaboration between disabled artists in Nepal and Scotland. The play has been developed through 'Unwrap', a series of creative development workshops and weaves ideas and new writing from artists in both countries to create a truly collaborative new work of accessible theatre that explores how the tales we tell and the myths we build can define us and our societies. The play creatively embeds access provisions such as Nepali sign language, captioning and audio description.
About the Directors:
Morna is a disabled theatre-maker, facilitator, director, dramaturg and mentor- working across a multitude of theatre settings in Scotland and internationally since 2009. Morna is passionate about creating space for people who are currently under-represented within the arts to make the work they want to exist in the world.
Gunjan Dixit is a theatre practitioner, director, and educator specializing in applied theatre and socially engaged performance. A Chevening Scholar with a Master’s from the University of Leeds, she co-founded Phulbari Playback Theatre in Nepal. Her work fosters dialogue through artistic interventions, using theatre as a catalyst for social change.
Director's Note:
While we looked to the past and the present to explore the experience of disabled people in Scotland and Nepal, it was the future that became our focus as we started to explore what a more positive and equitable world would be like. This has led us to a unique place where we can bring together all our ideas and directly utilize new writing and personal stories from the group.
About the Group:
Birds of Paradise Theatre Company (BOP) is Scotland’s preeminent pioneering disability-led theatre company and a force for change. Diverse Patterns is a Nepal-based organization committed to advancing disability inclusion and digital accessibility through training, partnerships, and advocacy.
BOP and Diverse Patterns have partnered together on the project Unwrap, which has resulted in this new accessible production. Unwrap is an international collaboration that has brought together ten artists from Scotland and Nepal. These artists have collaborated remotely through online workshops that explored artistic practice, storytelling and creative access. Unwrap is an Unlimited International Open Award 2024 commissioned by the British Council.
Cast and Crew:
On Stage:
Off Stage:
Contact Details:
Birds of Paradise Theatre Company
Scotland, UK
Diverse Patterns,
Kathmandu, Nepal
Synopsis:
New Normal follows friends Aaravi, Minal, and Smriti as they navigate the past, present, and future after the unexpected arrival of people from the old world—Earth. Why have they come, and how will they adapt? When the trio meets Diya, they quickly realize that their world is about to change in ways they never imagined.
New Normal is an original play which has resulted from an exciting international collaboration between disabled artists in Nepal and Scotland. The play has been developed through 'Unwrap', a series of creative development workshops and weaves ideas and new writing from artists in both countries to create a truly collaborative new work of accessible theatre that explores how the tales we tell and the myths we build can define us and our societies. The play creatively embeds access provisions such as Nepali sign language, captioning and audio description.
About the Directors:
Morna is a disabled theatre-maker, facilitator, director, dramaturg and mentor- working across a multitude of theatre settings in Scotland and internationally since 2009. Morna is passionate about creating space for people who are currently under-represented within the arts to make the work they want to exist in the world.
Gunjan Dixit is a theatre practitioner, director, and educator specializing in applied theatre and socially engaged performance. A Chevening Scholar with a Master’s from the University of Leeds, she co-founded Phulbari Playback Theatre in Nepal. Her work fosters dialogue through artistic interventions, using theatre as a catalyst for social change.
Director's Note:
While we looked to the past and the present to explore the experience of disabled people in Scotland and Nepal, it was the future that became our focus as we started to explore what a more positive and equitable world would be like. This has led us to a unique place where we can bring together all our ideas and directly utilize new writing and personal stories from the group.
About the Group:
Birds of Paradise Theatre Company (BOP) is Scotland’s preeminent pioneering disability-led theatre company and a force for change. Diverse Patterns is a Nepal-based organization committed to advancing disability inclusion and digital accessibility through training, partnerships, and advocacy.
BOP and Diverse Patterns have partnered together on the project Unwrap, which has resulted in this new accessible production. Unwrap is an international collaboration that has brought together ten artists from Scotland and Nepal. These artists have collaborated remotely through online workshops that explored artistic practice, storytelling and creative access. Unwrap is an Unlimited International Open Award 2024 commissioned by the British Council.
Cast and Crew:
On Stage:
Off Stage:
Contact Details:
Birds of Paradise Theatre Company
Scotland, UK
Diverse Patterns,
Kathmandu, Nepal
