"Liberation Squares" by Sonali Bhattacharyya in association with Brixton House.

Neville Studios, Nottingham Playhouse.

Three teenage girls forge an unlikely friendship when they meet at a creative writing workshop at a hip new café/workspace which used to be their library, now renamed "The Bibliotek". 

Sabi and Ruqaya challenge each other with ideas, TikToks, beat boxing lyrics, dance routines, all while avoiding the bully on the bus. Influential social media activist Xara asks the girls to speak out about their injustice, but they discover the workshop is connected to the state surveillance "Prevent" programme, and they have to fight back. The only question is how? What you say, and even what you think, can be viewed very differently, depending on who you are... Friendships fracture and loyalties are tested as they pursue different avenues of resistance.

 

"Liberation Squares" is a story of sisterhood, freedom of speech and creative expression, in an era when dissent is being criminalised and the state follows your every move, online and offline. 

This triple hander features Vaneeka Dadhria as  Ruqaya, Asha Hassan as Sabi and Halema Hussain as Xara. This trio play all the characters in "Liberation Squares", sometimes moving from one to the next by the application or removal of something as simple as lipstick in the case of Nadia.

Loved the "old school vibe" with Vaneeka's beat boxing which started the play and meandered through the play. The clever use of a loop machine highlighted the musical talents within the actors.

All three actors pull off the teenage schoolgirl image, not only with the look but also using the vernacular of that age group.

Directed by Milli Bhatia, the pace was relentless all the way through. It's a play which will make you think seriously about exactly what information unseen departments may actually hold on you, echoing George Orwell's "1984".

Whilst being entertaining and humorous, the play highlights the state of the world, and Nottingham today. Libraries and youth centres being closed. Racism, bullying, Islamophobia, colonial violence, bringing this play into the political circus ring.

The set design is by Tomás Palmer. The props the cast have are utilised in several ways to create different settings and the use of mobile phone projection onto the back wall is a clever way to further utilise the limited space. The three back panels revolve to allow whiteboards to be used to highlight the path of the story and to be used as a screen for the mobile phone footage.

Lighting design is by Joshua Gadsby and the Composer and Sound Designer is Elena Peña.

Produced by Nottingham Playhouse and Fifth Word.

The play runs straight through and lasts 75 minutes and I enjoyed every single minute of the play, which while being immensely entertaining, and really humorous, provides you with plenty to mull over after you've left the building.

"Liberation Squares" is at the Neville Suite at Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 27 April with a matinee and evening performance and has a 14+ age restriction.