‘My Home At The Intersection’ is a ground-breaking play by Abhishek Thapar that manages to disrupt the official histories of Punjab, whilst simultaneously digging down into a very personal past. The result is an intimate exploration of what it means to be ‘home’.
“It’s only now that I begin to ask myself, what makes a home? How does one deal with memories and conflicting histories?“
During the performance, which begins at the Fringe this Friday, Thapar weaves movingly told stories that span three generations of his family through official histories and documents. In doing so, he creates a platform for imagination that “goes beyond the traditional dichotomies of inside and outside, of victim and perpetrator, and of terrorism and resistance.”
Thapar delves into the anti-Sikh riots in 1984, and the Khalistan movement, which sought to create a separate country in the Punjab region to serve as a homeland for Sikhs. He pulls the audience into this history through videos, stories and the flavours that he has brought with him from the kitchen of his grandfather.
Described by Thapar himself as “a performance of the senses” this profound show reveals to the audience the reality of Punjab’s conflictual past, and also invites them into a family.
Thapar has explained that creation of the play has been a tool for him to forget and find closure, as “a personal story of going back to forget.”
“My home at the Intersection’ is a work, which I have been growing towards since I first started making theatre in my teens but could never gain courage to actualize it. In December last year, I went back to my childhood home in Moga with my family, to a place, which we all thought we had forgotten about. Together we created a performance.“
Performances will take place at 15-17 Middle Street on the following dates:
- Friday 3rd of May, 3.30 pm – 4.30 pm
- Saturday 4th of May, 3.30 pm – 4.30 pm
- Sunday 5th of May, 3.30 pm – 4.30 pm
- Monday 6th of May, 3.30 pm – 4.30 pm
Tickets are £6.50 – £8.50 and are available here.
