The one person theatre show that is Rani Moorthy is launching one of her biggest theatre productions next week at the Birmingham Rep.

Shades of Brown, which is written and performed by her, will then tour around the country including Liverpool, Swindon, Bath, Slough and London.

Her last show, Curry Tales, was UK's most widely toured piece of Asian theatre following acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was also broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Through powerful storytelling and funny characters, her latest production explores the controversial area of bleaching and colour prejudice within the Asian community against darker skin.

Coming out of the shadows, an albino Zulu meets superstition and prejudice head-on in a post apartheid South Africa where she is still the ‘wrong’ colour. On the brink of reversing her condition, an Asian scientist afflicted by vitiligo questions how brown she is prepared to go. In India an almost black bride hides her face before marriage, questioning the damage done by bleaching her skin in pursuit of beauty.

As money and time is poured into tanning or bleaching, the play explores how skin colour prejudice is more than an issue of black or white racism.

She explores the deep-rooted contradictions and trauma involved when an individual has too much or too little skin pigment.

Rani Moorthy says the play is partly inspired by her own experiences. When she was five years old, her grandmother said: "You are dark skinned like me. What bad luck, you better be good at something."

She says almost all literature and mythology during upbringing referred to the beauty of fair skin - from the Karma Sutra to Tantric rituals, from Hindu myths to Chinese pillow books.

Dark skinned people were never mentioned or shown as oppressed, ostracised or demonised.

Born in Malaysia, Rani Moorthy came to Britain in 1996. Rasa Theatre have also produced Rani's plays Pooja, Dancing Within Walls and Too Close To Home.

Her new drama serial, Whose Sari Now, will be heard on BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour in October.

Shades of Brown will be directed by Linda Marlowe

Media contact: Ed Higginson @ Rasa / 0161 834 7924 / ed.higginson@rasatheatre.co.uk
www.rasatheatre.co.uk

Tour

The Door, Biminnhgam Repertory Theatre
Tuesday 2 & Wednesday 3 October
www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

Artsdepot, North Finchley, London
Thursday 4 - Saturday 6 October, 8pm
www.artsdepot.co.uk

Rotherham Arts Centre
Wednesday 10 October, 7:30pm
www.rotherham.gov.uk

All Barnsley Diversity Festival
Electric Theatre, Barnsley College
Thursday 11 October, 7:30pm
ianmorley@barnsley.gov.uk
Free (Limited capacity)

Unity Theatre, Liverpool
Friday 12 October, 8pm
www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk

Swindon Arts Centre
Tuesday 16 October, 8pm
www.swindon.gov.uk/artscentre

Salisbury Arts Centre
Wednesday 17 October, 8pm
www.salisburyartscentre.co.uk

Ustinov @ The Egg, Theatre Royal Bath
Thursday 18 & Friday 19 October, 8pm
www.theatreroyal.org.uk

Croydon Clocktower
Thursday 25 October, 8pm
www.croydon.gov.uk/clocktower

West Wing, Slough
Friday 26 & Saturday 27 October, 8pm
www.artsinslough.org.uk

Darlington Arts Centre
Tuesday 30 October, 8pm
www.darlingtonarts.co.uk