A joyful participatory performance that explores the Global Majority experience of being 'othered', in the UK.
Coconut is an hour-long conversation between 8-10 local people in front of a live audience led by global majority* artist and facilitator Ria Phatarphekar-Karmarkar.
Around a table and accompanied by Indian snacks, this guided conversation explores the shared experiences of people from different cultures, through questions about identity, food, community, ethnicity, and belonging. Coconut recreates the experiences that Ria had growing up, of communal eating, bonding and sharing.
At the end of the conversation, the audience will be invited to engage with the participants and each other, ask questions and share any experiences, reflections, or learnings. Everyone will then move out into the hall where there will be more space for discussion and interaction.
*Global Majority is a shortened version of the term ‘people of the global majority’. We use it to refer to all ethnic groups except white British and other white groups, including white minorities. Global Majority includes people from black, Asian, mixed, and other ethnic groups who are often racialised as ‘ethnic minorities’, but actually constitute 85% of the global population.
ABOUT RIA
Ria is an Indian immigrant who moved to the UK over 3 years ago. She is a facilitator and theatre practitioner, with a focus on co-creating with underrepresented people and communities to create meaningful work that inspires hope, joy and an opportunity to showcase marginalised voices.
Ria specialises in real performance-conversation events which sensitively and openly engage with difficult personal and political subjects. She created Coconut to encompass all her favourite things- eating, talking to people, and sharing important experiences.
Made with dramaturgical support from Small ACTS
The FestiDale is part of Local Exchange, the Royal Exchange Theatre’s ambitious long-term programme co-curated with ambassadors and champions in communities across Greater Manchester. Take a look at what has been said about past festivals…
“Amazing experience showcasing the community. Loved it.”
“We need these stories told in the communities that need to talk about them”
“It brought people in who may never seen theatre. Told stories never heard.”
