Behna by Sonia Likhari

A sister is both a curse and a blessing...

In the Cheema’s Southall kitchen, it’s Ladies Sangeet Night. As the celebrations reach their peak two generations of sisters find themselves struggling with much more than samosas and pakoras.
      
Bhena is a funny, moving and thought provoking look through the keyhole at sibling rivalry set against a backdrop of weddings, births and separations.

Bhena was presented in a workshop production at Soho Theatre Studio in November 2006 as a part of Kali’s Asian Women Talkback Festival.  It got an enthusiastic response, sold out its run and earned much praise from all those who saw it. After further development work on the script, Kali plans a full production and short tour in 2008.

Formerly a commercial lawyer, Sonia Likhari is now concentrating on a career as an actress and writer. She has recently finished touring with Tamasha Theatre Company’s The Trouble With Asian Men, for which she also undertook research.

‘During an acting class I was trying to get a handle on the character of Ines in Lope de Vega’s Peribanez. Two minutes of improvisation with another student, playing a pair of Southall sisters solved the problem and the seed for the characters of Dal and Simi was planted in that two minutes. From there my long held fascination with the complexity of womens’ relationships and behaviour patterns, particularly within the confines of a male dominated society, led to my writing Behna.’
Sonia Likhari    

Directed by Suzanne Gorman  
Designed by Emma Wee
Lighting by John Bishop                          

Check back here for further details on dates and venues in 2008