Pah-la Premiers at Royal Court After Delays and Controversy

By Nithin Thomas Prasad / April 15, 2019;

Photo: Helen Murray

Pah-la, a play about a Tibetan nun who self-immolated during the 2008 uprising in occupied Tibet, premiered at the Royal Court in London on April 3 after being cancelled last year for diplomatic reasons and amid controversy in the Tibetan community of the United Kingdom.

The Royal Court cancelled the play, written by award-winning playwright Abhishek Majumdar, in March,2018 because it coincided with “significant political meetings” in China and could jeopardise the theatre’s ability to work there. The theatre had received a warning from a high-ranking British Council official serving as a first secretary in the British embassy in Beijing.

The Tibetan community in the UK slammed the play for not auditioning Tibetans during casting, while still expecting the community to help with media coverage, costumes, props, etc.

In response, the theatre said they regretted causing “confusion and disappointment” to the Tibetan community and called it a “communication failure”. Representatives of the theatre and the Tibetan community in the UK met on March 20 this year to address these concerns and a positive outcome was achieved.

Pah-La, meaning “father”, is based on real stories from the 2008 riots in Lhasa and is an examination of the future of non-violence, according to the Royal Court Theatre.

Reviews of the play have been positive, with The London Theatre describing it as““not only a provocative piece of theatre but an impressive feat of research and the incarnation of the play’s central theme”. The Guardian said the play offered a “philosophical inquiry into the nature of non-violence and the tactics required to counter oppression”.

However, a team of five UK-based Tibetans who have reviewed the play have expressed concerns about the way in which some issues are depicted. They also mentioned the Royal Court’s lack of liaison with the Tibetan community pre-production but say they are pleased that this issue is being addressed by the theatre. The five were Georgina Choekyi Doji (Digital Humanities developer), Tenzing Zega (Interpreter), Dechen Pemba (Editor of High Peaks, Pure Earth, highpeakspureearth.com), Kunsang Kelden (Theatre practitioner), and Sonam Anjatsang (Documentary filmmaker).