“A beautifully told story of nightmarish proportions” is a tremendous description of AILIA’s harrowing child-marriage drama AISHA, which has impressed reviewers during its mini-tour of London. Writer/director AJ and performer Alex Jarrett have, according to London City Nights, “knocked this out of the park”. Take a look a the brilliant reviews below, then book for the productions final dates at Tristan Bates Theatre (4 to 5 January 2019)
AISHA tells the story of a 14-year-old girl whose parents force her to marry a 51-year-old man. Aisha is sold for an expensive bride-price that her parents use to better themselves while they abandon their daughter. It is an act they justify using cultural and religious traditions. Aisha’s husband is sadistic and abusive. She cannot leave the house, communicate with the outside world, or even wash herself on a regular basis. She is denied every human right. How will she cope?
The play was first seen at the Hen & Chickens Theatre in 2017, but the piece, which is written in modern verse, has been altered since. At the Hen & Chickens Theatre it was staged with an ensemble cast. This year it is staged as a one-woman play.
Former Young Major of Newham, Alex Jarrett, takes the title role. Her previous stage roles include Boyz and Gyals at Theatre Royal Stratford East and Hacktivists at the National Theatre. She also appeared in the London Olympics Opening Ceremony and will feature in the upcoming BBC miniseries, Les Misérables.
The Home Office estimates that between 5,000 and 8,000 young people a year are at risk of forced marriage. In 2017, almost 1,200 cases of forced marriage were reported to the government’s Forced Marriage Unit (FMU), and of these, more than 25% involved victims under the age of 18. In the 2017 report published by the Home Office and Foreign Office, which runs the FMU, the departments stress: “Forced marriage is a hidden crime, and these figures may not reflect the full scale of the abuse.”
Review highlights
