Rabiah Hussain’s latest theatrical masterpiece Word-Play, under the brilliant direction of Nimmo Ismail, delves into the profound impact of language on the collective consciousness, leaving an indelible mark with repercussions stretching across generations.
She was honoured with a prestigious opportunity as a writer for the esteemed Kudos TV and Royal Court Theatre Fellowship Programme, in 2019. During her tenure, she made a notable contribution to the third edition of the Royal Court Living Newspaper. Additionally, Rabiah's creative prowess shone through in the form of "WE ARE SHADOWS," an enthralling audio drama tour of Brick Lane for Tamasha Theatre.
In an interview with Asian Voice, she talks about her
What inspired the creation of Word-Play?
My love of language. I wanted to write a play that explored both the beauty of language but also how, in the wrong hands, language can change how we see the world. A play that focuses first and foremost on language is a challenging task. But it also gave me the freedom to be inventive and have a range of scenes that reflect both the emotion of language, but also linguistic patterns within language. The play became a way for me to really experiment and show range because that is what language is. It's never one thing. There are endless possibilities with language.
When you are writing about people in power, how did you make sure that your writing doesn’t become too political and is still relatable for the audience?
My natural instinct when writing is to always balance the political with the emotional. I don't see politics as something that sits separately to our day-to-day lives. It seeps into everything. And so, it allowed me to give snapshots of how language used by those in power trickles down into our lives, and what the impact of that is on us as individuals. I think that is where the variation of scenes has the most power. There's something in the play that everyone can relate to.
How does Word-Play focus on the impact of language used by the people, on the smaller sections of our society?
The play looks at language in all spaces because I don't believe language used by those in power only sits within that group. It passes down to all of us. It seeps into the public consciousness and that is what makes it both powerful and potentially dangerous. Those in power focus on language because they know how language can change and shape society. And that is what the play is really exploring.
Is the South Asian diaspora more susceptible to being affected by the manipulation of language?
I don't think we are more or less susceptible to being affected by the manipulation of language. Every single person in society, whatever your background, is affected by this, whether we realise it or not. I'm not sure whether having a South Asian Prime Minister or more people of South Asian heritage in positions of power has had a different impact. I say this because class is a major factor here. Most of us won't relate to a South Asian Prime Minister who is as wealthy as he is. But that doesn't mean his words don't still have impact. That is something that affects every single person in society.
What is your opinion on the representation of the South Asian diaspora and their stories in the world of theatre? Why do you think more and more diaspora stories need to get exposure?
We have incredible writers of South Asian heritage in this country and we've seen some great plays by them over the years. But these things ebb and flow, not because the writers aren't there, but because we are always expected to write certain stories and when we don't, it feels like we disappear for a certain time. This isn't just for theatre. It's across all mediums. But this is the responsibility of institutions to make sure the space for range is there. Why should we always compromise on what we want to truly write in order to get our work out there? And our stories are important. They are needed. We are more than a handful of stories or ideas. We are everything. And we need to be allowed to be everything.
Word-Play will be running at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre up until Saturday, 26 August 2023.
