January-September 2016: Beyond the Mud Walls, a performance for stage, for Stellar Quines Theatre's 'Rehearsal Room' showcase at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. The project has been developed with support from a Tom McGrath Award, Creative Scotland funding and a Dance Base residency (Edinburgh). Based on Freda Bedi's book, Behind the Mud Walls, the piece weaves together poetry, Indian classical dance (Bharatnatyam) from Dance Ihayami, and acting/performance. Freda, an English woman from Derby, served as a political prisoner for India's independence in Lahore Female Prison and was the first Western woman to take ordination in Tibetan Buddhism. As India celebrates the 70th anniversary of its independence in 2017, and with nations and nationhood being pertinent issues, Freda's story has strong relevance today. You can watch a short film trailer of the project here: https://youtu.be/duLyBP7yvfc