The Troth | “A compelling, cross-cultural and well-paced production”

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The Troth. Photo: Simon Richardson

Sally Jack from The British Theatre Guide,​ reviews the UK premiere of The Troth at Curve, Leicester.

“Gary Clarke’s direction and choreography, Josh Hawkins’s video projection (including original footage of some of the 60,000 Indian troops serving in Europe), Shri Sriram’s haunting score and Charles Webber’s lighting evoke the mood of silent film, resulting in a compelling, cross-cultural and well-paced production. …

Sally Jack from The British Theatre Guide

Love and sacrifice is at the heart of this piece; The Troth is a surprisingly uplifting addition to the many productions commemorating the Great War, and a welcome creative collaboration between cultures and continents.”

Read: The Troth Reviewed by Sally Jack for The British Theatre Guide. 

Akademi is marking the centenaries of World War I, Indian cinema and the first Hindi short story, with The Troth / Usne Kaha Tha, a project that reveals the contribution, sacrifice and human cost of Indian soldiers to the allied war effort.

The Troth, inspired by a 1915 short story Usne Kaha Tha by Chandradhar Sharma Guleri, is the story of Sardar Lehna Singh’s sacrifice of keeping his secret promise to an unrequited love while mid-conflict in the horror of the trenches of Belgium.

Autumn Tour 2018

9 Nov | Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff
11 Nov | Pavilion Dance South West, Bournemouth
13 Nov | The Place, London
16 Nov | The Bramall, Birmingham
19 Nov | Blackburn Cathedral, Blackburn
23 Nov | Watermans, Hounslow

The Troth – Usne Kaha Tha

Akademi’s The Troth – Usne Kaha Tha is a gripping wartime story of love and loss, told through powerful dance theatre. Inspired by a 1915 short story Usne Kaha Tha by Chandradhar Sharma Guleri, it tells the story of Sardar Lehna Singh’s sacrifice of keeping his secret promise to an unrequited love while mid-conflict in the horror of the trenches of Belgium. Directed by Gary Clarke, the show features a specially-commissioned music score by Shri Sriram, and a cast including Vidya Patel (BBC Young Dancer 2015 finalist).

The Troth is funded by Arts Council England; Ministry of Culture, Government of India; Armed Forces Covenant Fund; Cockayne Grants for the Arts through the London Community Foundation; PRS for Music Foundation; ICCR; and Air India. Partners include UK-India Year of Culture; British Council; The Space; Imperial War Museum; National Army Museum; The Nehru Centre, London; Watermans Arts Centre; and Teamwork Arts.


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