Theatre Review: Silence

Silence, a show produced by Tara Theatre, delves into the untold stories of those who lived through the Partition of India in 1947, an often overlooked and simplified piece of Asian and British history.

The small and simplistic stage boasts only a few door frames and steps, providing an intimate and versatile setting for the performance. The production uses minimal costumes and lighting to enable the six actors to transition seamlessly between their roles – for example, removing a long skirt and adorning a hoodie to change from a 1940s Indian wife to a modern-day British grandchild. The use of screens and projection show the audience real photographs from the stories being told, which reminds us of the truth underlying the performances.

The small and simplistic stage boasts only a few door frames and steps, providing an intimate and versatile setting for the performance

The play follows the family members of those who lived through Partition, trying to get their parents and grandparents to break their ‘silence’ surrounding the events. The play opens with a modern couple, from Hindu-Indian and Muslim-Pakistani backgrounds, who want to learn more about each other’s history and pasts before they tie the knot, which captures the essence of the performance: that, in the fallout of partition, one should ‘with your heart, draw your own lines.’

Stories of the Partition are told anecdotally, either portrayed by older actors using the past tense, or re-enacted and narrated in the present tense by their younger counterparts. The use of this personal narrative brings the stories to life and captivates the audience, as if we are being told these stories by our own grandparents. Silence provides an intergenerational perspective on partition, reflecting on how the divide affected those who lived through it and how it still impacts them, as well as the current generation living with the racism and prejudices in modern-day Britain as a result of Partition and migration.

Silence provides an intergenerational perspective on partition

Many differing narratives are explored, such as a white man, James (Asif Khan), reflecting on his childhood in India and how violence was interweaved in his joyous memories, such as a pleasant afternoon fishing on the river which turned into a confrontation with a dead body in the water. The naivete of the British child living through the violence reflects that of the wider misunderstanding of the British Empire towards Indian culture. As it is addressed in the play, Cyril Radcliffe – the man who drew the lines that divided India – had himself never even visited the country. Whilst all the actors capture their characters beautifully, Khan totally embodies all of his roles and managed to draw tears from me, personally. Kahn effortlessly portrays the white man reflecting on his childhood, as well as a young boy torn apart from his friend living in Lahore, and a grandfather living in Manchester who still remembers his trauma from the age of sixteen.

The personal nature of the performance explains the Partition in a way that cannot be replicated in a classroom, nor by a Wikipedia search

Whilst the performance depicts what those living in India experienced as Partition was announced and violence unfolded around them, it also explores the long-lasting effects of the division on those who survived, such as the night terrors, the shame – and the silence surrounding the events, so as not to bring back the memories or share the horrors with family. This tear-jerking production of Silence sheds light on one of the most horrific events in British, Indian and Pakistani history. It should be viewed by all, whether you are well versed in the history of the events, or completely naïve. The personal nature of the performance explains the Partition in a way that cannot be replicated in a classroom, nor by a Wikipedia search.