An Ode to My Sisters is the first show from new south-east based theatre company, Images of Elsewhere, which aims to give individuals and communities a voice.
As its premiere piece, the company explore, support and challenge the lives of Muslim women in Britain. The story of twin sisters, Ferhana and Aisha, gives two different outlooks on how a religion can either demand an existence of acceptance and restraint or be adapted within certain boundaries.
Ferhana, played with heartbreaking sincerity by Asta Parry, chooses the path her family prefers by accepting an arranged marriage and subsequently being controlled by a dominant mother-in-law. In this role, Ansuya Nathan as Zubeida underlines the fatalism of one who has suffered in life under the control of others but who cannot see the tragedy in repeating the pattern.
The other twin, Aisha, is played with a relaxed nonchalance by Claire Suarez, who chooses a husband outside of her caste. In going against her parents’ wishes, she embraces the extended possibilities of her adopted country without jeopardising her religious belief or her health and happiness.
Shaleen Hudda is excellent as the twins’ mother Parveen, who is determine to hold tradition firm but realises that her children’s happiness can be achieved by adjusting the limits without relinquishing their culture or religion.
In her first professional role, Natasha Ali vibrantly creates the role of Aminah as she fights to win back her rights as a mother within the confines of a suffocating situation.
Sakina Ballard plays Sophie, who has converted to the Muslim faith at the expense of losing her family, trying to help others by acting as a go-between. Her character is the mechanism through which the other characters interact and as such, Ballard gives a sincere portrayal.
Houria Niati vocalises ninth-century Arabic music, creating a haunting magnetism to the charged atmosphere, and directors Yasmin Gurreeboo and Lucy Bradley thread physical theatre and video projections through the action to build the bigger picture.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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