Ten Years To Home

by Sonal Moore

Theatre Design, Music & Director

Neel Banerjee

Playwright

Sonal Moore

Actors

Shabnam Tavakol
Madhullikaa Singh
Reema Gillani
Karina Bracken
Taufeeq Sheikh

Styling: Rajshri Roy
Lighting Design: Rajdeep Roy
Photography & Digital Design: Kamal Khajuria

About Playwright

Sonal is a lawyer by day, and a writer by night and she knows which she prefers. Sonal has been writing short plays since 2004 and has since that time had her short plays produced around the world, in festivals around Australia, in the USA, India, Dubai, and France.

Sonal’s exploration of what it means to grow up in Australia as a girl of Indian heritage started with her short play “White Weddings” and continued with “Eye of the Storm” which was presented by Nautanki in 2020. In 2023, Sonal’s one-act play “Mangalsutra” looked at marriage across three generations of women of Gujarati heritage.

Sonal’s parents are from Gujarat, India. Her father was sent to Australia in 1959 for business and after 10 years, her parents decided to stay. Sonal was born in Melbourne and married to a white Australian who must have been Indian in a past life! “Ten Years to Home”, which premiered in 2019 produced by Nautanki Theatre in Parramatta, is an exploration of Sonal’s parents’ story set against the political climate of Australia and India in the 1960s and the richness of the two cultures in which her family now lives.

“Ten Years to Home” by Sonal Moore tells the story of why her parents first came to Australia and what made them stay. Looked at through the eyes of three generations of women, the play reveals the challenges faced by an Indian family living a long way from home and in a predominantly white Australia. It also shows the friendship that was extended to them until ten years later, Australia had also become home. The play centres on Sonal’s parents’ story while the stories of Sonal and her two daughters show the crossover of the Indian and Australian cultures. Sonal’s father is the common thread throughout the play. The play spans 10 years and gives a snapshot of the change of both India and Australia in the 1960s, which ultimately paved the way for the greater Asian migration in the early 1970s.

“Ten Years to Home” is an outcome of the Drama~Sutra playwriting project in 2016-18. A project was undertaken for the first time in Australia to incubate writings that wouldn’t have been possible without the Nautanki Theatre Company’s commitment to showcasing alternate narratives from the fastest-growing migrant community. A visionary theatre company dedicated to the creative development of CaLD theatre, Nautanki Theatre Company has a rich journey starting in Parramatta in 2013. In the last decade, the company has played a critical role in the cultural landscape of Western Sydney providing a new audience experience by creating poignant, culturally and socially relatable artwork of the highest quality. Partnering with Riverside Theatre in Parramatta, Nautanki has created a platform and vanguard for the voice of South Asian creatives, stories that validate their migrant experiences and create an appetite for an emerging local audience from Western Sydney. In the creative pursuit, Nautanki creates employment for artists, creating bold stories on the Australian stage by carrying out Independent Theatre Movement in Australia involving the community.

The Artists

(As Rushi) Taufeeq Ahmed Sheikh is a true medium and language agnostic, and his work in broadcasting,theatre,

and film has allowed him to share his passion for storytelling with audiences around the world.
Taufeeq has recently completed working on William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” Duke Senior and he has also appeared in productions of “Othello” as Othello, “Much Ado About Nothing” as Don John, “Hamlet” as Guildenstern & Marcellus, broadway musical “The Drowsy Chaperone”, “The Female of the Species” by Joanna Murray Smith as Frank. Vikram Kapadia’s “Black with Equal”, Mahesh Dattani’s “Where did I leave my Purdah”. He is a recipient of numerous awards for his work in acting, public speaking, literature, broadcasting, direction, and interfaith harmony.

Born in Mumbai, Taufeeq debuted as a television actor at the age of 9 and ventured into

stage direction at 17. Taufeeq feels incredibly honoured to yet again be a part of “Ten Years To Home” by Sonal Moore, being resurrected for the KXT Bakehouse & Nautanki Theatre collaboration. Nautanki Theatre has a special place in Taufeeq’s heart as he attributes his directorial & lead acting debut in Australia after a 15-year sabbatical to productions led by Nautanki Theatre in the past.

(As Vasant) Reema Gillani has had an extensive career as an actor on stage, TV & radio. Shejoined Ajoka Theatre at

the age of 18. Ajoka is a pioneering progressive grass-roots level Pakistani theatre company. At Ajoka, her acting credentials include adaptations of Bertolt Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Chaak Chakkar) and The Three Penny Opera (Takkay Da Tamasha and Shahid Nadeem’s critically acclaimed plays, Lappad and Ek This Nani, where she shared the stage with the legendary British South Asian actor, Zohra Sehgal.In 2015, she joined Nautanki Theatre Company’s creative team.

Reema’s recent stage credits include Nautanki’s The Jungle Book, Jahanara Ke Teen Roop and Booha Kholo in Nautanki’s South Asian Theatre Festival and Hai Aur Koi Uzma Kuhein Jise, a theatrical tribute to her mother, Uzma Gillani’s 60 years of TV career, which she co-wrote, acted & co-directed.

(As Radhika) Karina Bracken graduated from the Australian Academy of Dramatic Art (AADA). Karina’s recent

theatre credits include Human Activity (bAKEHOUSE & Nautanki) Dalo Chips & Imli Chutney (Shopfront Arts Lab), Jatinga (bAKEHOUSE), Flame Trees (Depot Theatre), and Animal Farm (Archway 1 Theatre). For television, she has appeared in Bump, Pieces of Her, Reef Break and The Commons. Film work includes the independent feature film Greed, as well as roles in the short films Weather Girl, Boyz and Hirani. Other credits include a music video for the song Tulips by Tigerilla ft. Gill Bates, which was nominated for a J Award for Best Music Video, and the web series, Chronic Dreams.

(As EV) Madhullikaa Singh is an actor, theatre maker and Odissi dancer working on Gadigal land. Her stage credits

include ‘Human Activity’ at KXT on Broadway and Riverside Theatres (2023), and ‘Dalo Chips and Imli Chutney’ and ‘माँ की रसोई’ (My Mother’s Kitchen) at 107 Redfern, as part of Shopfront’s ArtsLab program (2022), 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art for the ‘Art in the Heart of Haymarket’ Festival (2022), and KXT (2023). Graduating from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts and Advanced Studies in Theatre & Performance Studies and International & Global Studies, she directed (2021) and produced (2022) the People of Colour Revue at the Seymour Centre, showcasing the talents of 30+ BIPOC creatives. Expanding her creative horizons, this year she co-led the Voices of Women’s creative monologue workshop at the Newcastle Writers Festival and is part of ATYP’s

CULTIVATE program for emerging BIPOC Dramaturgs. Most recently she performed for artist HOSSEI’s ESSSENSSSE exhibition in collaboration with the Verge Gallery, Performance Space at Carriageworks and the Burwood Council as well as for the Indian media collective, RAQS at the 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art.

(As Sonal) Shabnam Tavakol is a versatile and experienced stage and film performer of over 20 years, received

several excellent theatre reviews of her work. Her recent credit is playing the famous antagonist stepmother in the sell-out show “Sunderalla”, a queer Bollywood retelling of Cinderella at ARA Darlinghurst Quarter Theatre. One of her fondest roles is her solo performance of “Paradise Now” combining spoken poetry, puppetry, and dance.

Shabnam is Australian-raised, with mixed Iranian and Indian heritage, and comes with a mixed bag of performance craft. She trained under industry professionals from the Actors Centre Australia and Horizon Theatre Company’s School of Puppetry and Visual Performing Arts.She is also an awarded Indian dancer and believes her Indian Classical Dance training gaveher solid acting foundations such as harnessing the power of expressions, the body, and stage presence.

Wardrobe and Styling: Rajshri Roy is an academic at the University of Sydney, where she specializes in nutrition

and dietetics. Her research and teaching delve into the relationship between food, health, and culture; offering insights that resonate beyond the academic world. However, Rajshri’s passion doesn’t stop at nutrition; she has a keen eye for fashion, style and a deep love for the theatre arts, which she brings to life as a stylist for the “Ten Years to Home” production. Combining her research skill set with a creative flair, Rajshri is interested in curating costumes that not only reflect the characters but also enhance the storytelling. Born into Indian Bengali culture and spending life in 3 different countries with three cultures, Rajshri brings the best South Asian styling knowledge and understanding.

She is a valuable part of Nautanki’s creative team.

Sonal Moore, the playwright behind- “Ten Years To Home”, is a force to be reckoned with in the world of theatre. By day, she is a lawyer, but it is in her writing that she finds her true passion. Moore’s journey as a playwright began with her exploration of what it means to grow up in Australia as a girl of Indian descent. Her early works, such as “White Weddings” and “Eye of the Storm”, laid the groundwork for her continued exploration of these themes. In 2023, Moore’s one-act play “Mangalsutra” examined marriage across three generations of women of Gujarati heritage, offering a deeply personal look at the evolving role of tradition in the lives of modern Australian-Indian families.

Moore’s work is not just a celebration of her own family’s journey, but a tribute to the countless other migrant families who have contributed to the cultural mosaic of Australia.

Director's Note

तज़्किरा/تذک in Urdu and Hindustani means “to have a discourse” and this has exactly been on my mind for the last few weeks in the rehearsal room working with a fantastic creative team in developing “Ten Years To Home”. Sonal Moore wrote her first draft way back in 2016-17 as part of Nautanki’s Drama~Sutra playwriting project. This was a pioneering attempt to create culturally relatable content for the Australian stage, particularly focusing on the South Asian diaspora. It reflects how South Asian experiences are woven into Australia’s broader cultural tapestry. The development was supported by the SBW Foundation. So, from the word “go” this play was destined to travel to the other side of Sydney, from Parramatta. Nautanki’s collaboration with KXT-Bakehouse is a reassurance of this sentiment. The play beautifully captures the essence of what this production represents: a dialogue not only within the South Asian diaspora but also between cultures, nations, and identities in Australia.

Reema Gillani grew up in Karachi, Pakistan for the first 20 years of her life. Taufeeq Sheikh grew up in Bombay, India. These two actors play the protagonists in this play. Their collaboration showcases how creative arts and theatre can transcend borders, fostering a dialogue between once-divided communities. Through their performances, the actors bring to life a narrative that reflects the South Asian community’s shared history, even amidst political and national divides. Their collaboration on an Australian stage serves as a strong metaphor for how art can reconcile differences. Currently, this is the most important statement in the South Asian diaspora about how community divides are negotiated through creative arts and theatre. If you’re a South Asian, then you’ll feel the urgency of this sentiment within the greater Australian society.

I’ll remember this production for Madhullikaa Singh who plays EV. A young and bright student, Madhu departs for India in a few weeks because as a country we failed her and denied her stay further in this country. This mirrors the struggles of figures like Nancy Prasad and Dr. Muhamed Haneef, symbolising Australia’s complicated history with migration and its occasional failure to support immigrant stories. Madhu, we’re sorry!