Overview

'You've all heard a hundred different versions of what happened. We're here to tell you how it really went down.' Teenage best friends Sabi and Ruqaya spend their time choreographing dance routines, beat-boxing and hiding from bullies. But when charismatic social media activist Xara challenges them to speak up about injustice, they find themselves under state surveillance, targeted by the anti-terrorist 'Prevent' programme. What you say, and even what you think, can be viewed very differently, depending on who you are... Sonali Bhattacharyya's play Liberation Squares is a riotous comedy about sisterhood, freedom of speech, and dissent in the face of institutionalised Islamophobia. It was commissioned and developed by Fifth Word, and first produced in 2024 by Fifth Word and Nottingham Playhouse in association with Brixton House, and directed by Milli Bhatia. 'Real polemical power... builds to an action-adventure heist that would make Ms Marvel proud... bite and purpose' — Guardian 'Hard hitting, with a beautiful blend of humour' — Theatre & Tonic 'Urgent... hits on something worryingly prescient at a time when our rights are under threat. It's a pressing topic, compellingly explored' — The Stage

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9781839043352

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Reviews

'Real polemical power... builds to an action-adventure heist that would make Ms Marvel proud... bite and purpose' * Guardian * 'Hard hitting, with a beautiful blend of humour' * Theatre & Tonic *

'Real polemical power... builds to an action-adventure heist that would make Ms Marvel proud... bite and purpose' * Guardian * 'Hard hitting, with a beautiful blend of humour' * Theatre & Tonic * 'Urgent... hits on something worryingly prescient at a time when our rights are under threat. It's a pressing topic, compellingly explored' * The Stage * 'A strong play with an important message at its core... Troubling [but] actually very funny' * All That Dazzles * 'Bhattacharyya ramps up the action and comedy nicely... instructive and engaging... a play with humanity at its heart' * Reviews Hub *

'Real polemical power... builds to an action-adventure heist that would make Ms Marvel proud... bite and purpose' * Guardian * 'Hard hitting, with a beautiful blend of humour' * Theatre & Tonic * 'Urgent... hits on something worryingly prescient at a time when our rights are under threat. It's a pressing topic, compellingly explored' * The Stage *

Author Information

Sonali Bhattacharyya is an award-winning playwright whose plays include: Liberation Squares (Fifth Word tour, 2024); Chasing Hares (Young Vic, London, 2022); Two Billion Beats (Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, 2022; an earlier version was staged by the Orange Tree in 2021 as part of their Inside/Outside season), Megaball (National Theatre Learning), 2066 (Almeida Theatre), The Invisible Boy (Kiln Theatre) and White Open Spaces (Pentabus Theatre). Chasing Hares was the winner of Theatre Uncut's 2021 Political Playwriting Award.

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