"It is a play I want audiences to engage with."
Gavi Singh Chera is an acclaimed face on the theatre scene. He has starred in several hit-stage shows.
These include Our Generation, Behind The Beautiful Forevers, and Duck and 1922: The Waste Land.
Gavi has also been a part of the National Youth Theatre REP Company, which encompasses Wuthering Heights, Consensual, and The Merchant of Venice.
The actor has also worked extensively in television and film.
His television credits include The Undeclared War, The Lazarus Project, and Vera.
Adding to his wide repertoire of theatre, Gavi Singh Chera is set to star in Rob Drummond’s Pins & Needles.
Directed by Amit Sharma, the show will premiere at Kiln Theatre. It also stars Richard Cant, Brian Vernel, and Vivienne Acheampong.
In the play, Gavi plays Rob – a playwright who intertwines science and scepticism for his new play.
His research leads him to grapple with issues of trust and subjectivity.
In our exclusive chat, Gavi Singh Chera delved into Pins & Needles and shed light on his impressive career.
Can you tell us about Pins & Needles? What attracted you to the story and the character of Rob?
Pins & Needles is written by the brilliant mind of Rob Drummond.
It is about a playwright who interviews three people who have been personally affected by three different diseases (smallpox, MMR and the coronavirus).
Their responses to the respective vaccines for each disease.
I was attracted to this story because my family were personally affected by COVID-19.
It is a play I want audiences to engage with.
What has it been like to collaborate with Amit Sharma on this production?
Mind-bending and fun – Amit is such an intelligent, thoughtful and playful director.
I’m very excited for him and looking forward to his tenure as the new Artistic Director of the Kiln.
Can you describe your decision-making process when selecting roles and projects?
I try to choose projects with heart. I look for gripping writing, an exciting creative team and a strong cast.
What projects have you particularly enjoyed working on and why?
I was in a verbatim play called Our Generation where I played a real young person from Birmingham who was obsessed with the Kardashians and TikTok.
Performing Our Generation was always very special, particularly the show the family came to see.
Getting to meet them afterwards is one of the highlights of my life, let alone my career.
That cast and creative team are very dear to me.
I was also in a one-person show called Duck which was a real challenge and a lot of fun.
Our wonderful assistant director Imy Wyatt Corner directed me in Duck and it’s been lovely to be reunited with her.
Which actors have inspired you in your career?
The first actors who come to mind are people I’ve worked with – Thusitha Jayasundera, Anjana Vasan, and Tanya Moodie.
I’ve learnt so much watching them in rehearsals and getting to work opposite them.
If I’m really honest though, I feel like my biggest inspirations are people outside of acting – the likes of Nina Simone, Ian Wright, and my Nanny-ji.
What differences do you feel when performing onstage and in front of the camera?
I came up through the National Youth Theatre, so I feel like being onstage in front of audiences is where I began learning my craft.
I’ve found the rehearsal room for theatre to generally be a lot more collaborative too.
I particularly love how immediate plays are – sharing the story with live audiences, sensing and hearing their spontaneous reactions – that feeling really energises me.
I’ve found being in front of the camera to be fun and a whole different craft of its own.
Essentially, you still want to be in the moment with your scene partners and be truthful, but the final story is edited, so you have less control over how your performance plays.
I love visual storytelling – how a look or movement on screen can be just as expressive as a monologue on stage – sometimes more!
What do you like about the Kiln Theatre as a venue?
I really like how much they engage with the community, particularly the work they’ve done with people who’ve sought refuge here.
I’m looking forward to seeing some good films in the cinema.
I’ve also seen people using the bar and cafe area to write. I think that’s cool that people are using this space to get their cultural fix as well as to do their work.
What advice would you give to budding Desi actors?
Get involved in acting locally. Apply for the National Youth Theatre.
Try to see plays and films – you can watch things quite cheaply whilst you’re young.
£3 tickets to see films at the BFI, discounted Entry Pass tickets at the National Theatre, and Young and Free tickets at the Almeida Theatre (to name a few off the top of my head).
Go watch stuff, read plays, read screenplays, read novels, discover what kind of stories you really like.
Write the story you want to see. Go and see things you wouldn’t ordinarily choose to see.
Can you tell us about your future work?
I’ll be appearing in the Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power which airs from August 29, 2024, on Amazon Prime Video.
I’ll also be appearing as Mandeep Singh in Steve McQueen’s feature film Blitz, which will come out this winter.
It was so special to work with Steve and it was so special to represent a Sikh who wears a pagh.
It was even more special to be in a film set in World War II, particularly when over two million South Asian people served in both World Wars and because I have family who served in both.
What do you hope the audience should take away from Pins & Needles?
I really hope they start conversations about where they get their information, question what motivates people in positions of authority, and be open to having their own opinions changed.
Pins & Needles certainly promises to be an entertaining and thought-provoking watch.
With a star like Gavi Singh Chera headlining the play, it is set to leave an indelible imprint on the hearts of viewers.
Director Amit Sharma says: “Rob [Drummond] and I are thrilled to have assembled this fantastic cast and creative team to create his brand-new play for the stage.
“The Kiln Theatre is a place for nurturing conversation and provoking debate.
“It feels perfect to begin with Pins & Needles which will entice, challenge and entertain our audiences.”
Here is the full list of credits:
Edward Jenner
Richard Cant
Rob
Gavi Singh Chera
Robert
Brian Vernel
Mary
Vivienne Acheampong
Director
Amit Sharma
Writer
Rob Drummond
Designer
Frankie Bradshaw
Lighting Designer
Rory Beaton
Sound Designer
Jasmin Kent Rodgman
Casting Director
Amy Ball CDG
Kiln-Mackintosh Resident Assistant Director
Imy Wyatt Corner
Linbury Associate Designer
Finlay Jenner
Previews for Pins & Needles begin on September 19, 2024.
The show runs at the Kiln Theatre from September 25 to October 26, 2024.
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