JADAR

Danesha is a new play new coming-of-age story exploring black culture, queer joy and finding and loving your authentic self. Ahead of the world premiere at The Lowry, we had the chance to sit down with writer Stefanie Reynolds.

Could you talk us through the timeline of creating Danesha, where did it all begin and how long did it take for you to bring it to the stage?

S: “In 2021, I was a part of Box of Trick’s year long playbox scheme – a year to write a new play, dramaturgical support, and R&D as well as a rehearsed reading at HOME theatre. It was sick! Since it was so soon after COVID, I knew I wanted to write something FUN and entertaining – lots of music and dancing. It was important that my audience could come to the theatre and have a joyful, vibrant time after a period of unprecedented, unpredictable, static times.”

After writing the show, how involved were you in the casting and rehearsal process? Do you prefer to stay closely involved throughout, or do you like to take a step back once the writing is done?

S: “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek. On other projects, I’m happy to hand it over and walk away, but with Danesha, I really wanted to be a part of the whole process – this is my baby and I have a very clear vision of how I see the world of the play. Box of Tricks and Hannah Tyrell Pinder have been extremely graceful and generous in letting me be a part of the entire process!”

What has it been like working with Manchester’s own Box of Tricks?

S: It’s been brilliant! I moved back to Manchester in 2019 and had no sense of where the theatre scene was at! I got in touch with them and applied for their Pen Pal scheme – meeting a fellow mixed-heritage playwright in Manchester, and then later applied for Playbox. They have been incredibly supportive in not only my career, encouraging and empowering me, but also introducing me to so many great people who I can now call my friends, which was equally important to me when I moved back home to my city that had changed so much. 

In a recent interview, you mentioned, ‘I didn’t want to do race trauma porn, I wanted to celebrate blackness and laugh.’ How important is it for you to explore Black joy within your writing, especially in a media landscape that often neglects to represent this celebration?

S: “It’s integral to my writing. Everything I write is about platforming and representing my community. The good and the bad!”

As well as theatres, Danesha is touring across six schools in the North West, bringing the story to young audiences. What impact are you anticipating that Danesha will have on students, and what do you hope that they take away from the performance?

S: “I am so excited for them to see it! I hope they see that theatre is accessible to them. That they can write, perform, produce – after all, a mixed-race working-class Manny gyal did! I hope they see themselves in Danesha. I hope they celebrate and embrace their differences and uniqueness. I hope they enjoy it!”

In the show synopsis, we learn that “Danesha arranges a night out in Manchester. She finds the sickest club with the sickest music, and the sickest vibe” We’d love to know which specific areas or venues across Manchester inspired this part of the story? Gay village? The Northern Quarter?

S: “I definitely envisioned an underground, Black club – I don’t even think the places I was clubbing at exist now! And also, for the house party scene that was definitely inspired by a Moss Side party.”

Danesha premiered at The Lowry (Lowry Studio) last night – and has its opening tonight – where it runs until October 5. It tours the UK until October 26.