AISHA & ABHAYA is a modern day fairytail...

A multi-disciplinary theatrical performance, combining cinema, dance and immersive projections.  It launched at The Royal Opera House in London on a 5 week run during January-February 2020. It then has a world tour in 2021 in select theaters. 

Aisha and Abhaya are two sisters in a fantastical world, but one riven with familiar troubles and dangers. Seeking refuge from their violent homeland, they struggle to fight and survive in a new country, in this contemporary tale of hope, fearlessness and love.

Setting Up Camp

Grandma Spirit

The Orphans

The Journey

The ORPHANS are putting on their coats, unzipping them from the trees. And they offer two to AISHA and ABHAYA. This is proof that they have been accepted into the group. ABHAYA is pleased. As AISHA and ABHAYA are putting their coats on. THE ORPHAN KING arrives to help ABHAYA. There is a moment between them. AISHA see this. 

ABHAYA gathers her things and leaves, following the others, telling AISHA to follow.

City Gates

As They reach the city. The fortress looms. The group walk the long path towards it. There is now a stillness/quiet among them. As they get closer, we see a dark opening in the cliff before them. It is a tunnel - menacing, shadowy, urban. The ORPHAN KING and his group pause. We understand they will be going in this way, ‘the back way’. The ORPHANS head down into the tunnel.

The Entrance

ABHAYA looks to her sister, and then without consulting her, defiantly follows the group leaving AISHA alone. ABHAYA is helped up into the tunnel. Her face determined. AISHA stands alone before the tunnel. Deserted. Devastated. An instant. AISHA opens the box to see a tiny glow that escapes it. She walks towards the tunnel. She must climb up alone. She falls. And tries again.
We see the tunnel from AISHA’s point of view. Shadows, noises - we can see nothing clearly.
We lose AISHA in the darkness of the screen.

The film projection gauze is removed, unveiling the stage, our story continues in dance...

The Tunnel

As the film ends, a light fades on behind the transparent gauze screen and we see the orphans and sister on stage dancing. The tunnel we we're in in film, is now projected and moving forward behind the dancers, we are still moving further and further into the structure, towards the city. 

The City

We push through the doors and the whole stage is flooded with the animated light of the city. Pulsing to the music, the lights flicker and react to the dance. The dance intensifies as the orphans explore the city. 

The Spirit Dance

Our journey through the city takes us to a dark cold alleyway. The ORPHANS abandon her and AISHA is there alone and lost. She clings to her music box, as she opens it the spirit of her grandmother rises and floods the stage with light and dancers with her. 

The dancers leave the stage, the animated spirit in the projections, turns into the GRANDMOTHER and our story continues in cinema... 

The Family Dance

(The spirit dancing on screen slowly becomes the..) GRANDMOTHER dancing in her home - an appealing, other worldly living room. We realise the music is coming from a small, old music box.
GRANDMOTHER ushers AISHA and ABHAYA to join her. She teaches them her dance, they copy her moves. They are joyful, affectionate - enjoying each others company.

The Tragedy

Immediately and without ceremony TWO SOLDIERS enter the room. The GRANDMOTHER moves towards them as if to confront them. AISHA makes an instinctive move from inside their hiding place to open the trunk and help her GRANDMOTHER. ABHAYA holds her back.

THE SOLDIERS strike GRANDMOTHER down in seconds with a shocking brutality. THE SOLDIERS have come to destroy and kill.

Death

AISHA and ABHAYA come out of their hiding place and in a state of shock, walk over to GRANDMOTHER. She is dead on the floor. AISHA and ABHAYA are devastated. AISHA gets down next to her, desperate, but ABHAYA knows they must leave quickly, they are in danger.
ABHAYA pulls AISHA away. AISHA goes with her and in that split second decides to take something of that world with her. She grabs the music box. We see GRANDMOTHER, dead on the floor, her arm over her head, in the same position as the spirit dancing.

...

Snowfall

The grandma is still in view, lying dead on the floor. Snow falls on her and expands around the entire stage.  The ORPHANS come out from the darkness. Lights are pulsing to the music, revealing the snow falling on the alleyway, where AISHA still lays. 

Dance Of Death

THE ORPANS dance the Dance Of Death around the sisters, thousands of other dancers join in seamlessly, projected all around them. 

Spirits

One by one the dancers leave the stage and the screen. The spirits film plays behind the dancers, as the sisters slowly fall to the floor. We are back in the alleyway, the sisters are abandoned, freezing, dying. 

AISHA & ABHAYA lay on the floor and look up at the screen, as the final film plays. 

Transcendence

AISHA & ABHAYA lay on the ground in the alleyway. 

The GRANDMOTHER appears before them, lifting their spirits into the sky as their bodies transcend the material world, and join her, in the afterlife. 

END...

We hope you have enjoyed reading our story...

The Making of AISHA & ABHAYA was an incredible journey over two years. It involved so much creativity, sacrifice, dedication and heartache along the way. But we are all overjoyed with the results, bringing a new demographic into the dance and theater arena. 

This project would be nothing without the people who dedicated their craft, time and in many cases finances, to the project. It's been an investment for all, and we thank everyone involved.