"It's all about loving your parents!"
Kiren Jogi’s upcoming play, Valley of Queens, intertwines South Asian women and migration in a thrilling verbatim piece of theatre.
South Asian individuals include Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and Sri Lankan people.
The show narrates the migration stories of South Asian women who live in Sandwell Valley, West Bromwich.
These women share songs, gidha boliyaan, and memories from the 1960s and onwards from the 1970s.
Presented by Curl Girl Productions, the play is a whirlwind of positivity and joy.
In an exclusive chat with DESIblitz, artistic director, writer, and actress Kiren Jogi delved into Valley of Queens and much more.
Can you tell us about The Valley of Queens? What is it about, and what is the story?
The Valley of Queens is a Verbatim piece of theatre based on the migration stories of South Asian women living in Sandwell Valley, West Bromwich.
These women share laughter, songs, and memories, mostly pleasant but some painful, from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
The play takes you on a journey through stories of strength, struggle and resilience.
How does the show explore the themes of strength and struggle?
The narrative of The Valley of Queens has been developed from the stories shared during The Happy Hour Project.
It is a 12-week creative project produced by Curl Girl and commissioned by Creative Black Country as part of the Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places National Portfolio programme.
The project aimed to work with South Asian women between the ages of 50-80+ in the Sandwell region and provide them with a platform to engage in free creative activities and storytelling workshops that centred around their migration stories.
These activities included but were not limited to Laughter Yoga, African Mask Painting, Bollywood Dance, a trip to the theatre, and many more.
What place do you think South Asian women have in society today? Are there any stigmas still to be broken?
Injustice will always exist, but we definitely live in a world where self-expression is welcomed.
I think stigma will always be there; society evolves, and something new is created to stigmatise.
There is a lot of work to be done before a utopian society will exist, should it ever.
I’m a 1990s kid – one of the very lucky ones from a family of girls that was told to go live my dreams.
Fortunately, I’ve never felt this pinch at home.
What inspired you to write this play?
I have always been fascinated by the tales I’ve heard growing up through family and friends.
It was really important for me to give a voice to these ‘forgotten’ women who sacrificed their dreams and aspirations to raise and support a new generation of skilled individuals who have gone on to accomplish remarkable success.
There has been a lot of work done on migration stories – what we have done differently, I suppose, is taking these narratives from the source itself.
We have presented their voices in the form of a narrative that will transport you back to the 1960s and 1970s.
What do you think can be done to combat the current difficulties surrounding migration?
Educate new migrants, provide them with opportunities and, most importantly, raise awareness.
The stories told in The Valley of Queens will resonate with anyone who has packed a bag and migrated to a foreign land.
Today, we hear so much in the news about migration and its impact.
Migrants come here without any knowledge of how their lives might change.
This is where awareness is crucial – the grass is not always greener on the other side – literally!
Do you have any advice for people who want to enter theatre and become playwrights?
I am an actor and then subsequently a writer – when I write, I see the scene being performed through my imagination, and the dialogue then follows.
If I cannot visualise and put myself in that scene, then I do not have a script.
Know your subject, create your characters and build your world. It is such a beautiful process.
The best moments in rehearsal are the ones where the words from the script come alive – such a pleasure to see and hear!
Can you tell us anything about your future work?
We are really excited to launch a new theatre show titled Panjabi Princesses – The Royal Rebel that will be coming to the Midlands in May 2025, where we are working with local talent Rupinder Kaur Waraich.
At Curl Girl, we work towards developing opportunities for South Asian artists in the Midlands that promote positive personal and social change.
Our aim is to create interactive and participatory work for communities that celebrate South Asian culture and heritage.
Our previous show, A Marriage Proposal, was warmly received by our Midlands audiences, with sold-out performances every night.
We need more representation, content that resonates and narratives that showcase our diversity.
The Valley of Queens and A Marriage Proposal will tour in 2025/2026.
What do you hope the audience will take away from The Valley of Queens?
This show is for all the mums, aunties, sisters, grandmas and besties out there. Love and appreciate them.
They sacrificed so we could not only exist but live our best life.
Take them out, go to the movies, paint a picture, build a puzzle, go bowling, go to a museum, the list is endless!
Come along and see what they experienced when they migrated to England.
It’s a show to sit and watch with your mum, dad, sisters, brothers, Massi, Mami, Bhua, Chachi, Chacha, Naani, Dada, Daadi – bring them all!
As Karan Johar says: “It’s all about loving your parents!”
The Valley of Queens promises to be an engaging, memorable, and thought-provoking show.
The words of Kiren describe how important the representation of South Asian women is, and this play is certain to highlight that.
Talking about the process, Kiren adds:
“It was a really beautiful process, and we are so delighted that we have been able to shape the stories these women shared into a theatre show in English & Panjabi.”
The Valley of Queens will be performed at the Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham, UK.
Directed by Neetu Singh, It will run on Friday, December 6, 2024, at 2.30 pm and 7.30 pm.
There is also a show on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 7.30 pm.
Find out more information here.
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