South West writer brings new show to Theatre Royal Plymouth next week
Ahead of its run at Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP) next week (07-10 May), new rehearsal images have been released for In Search of Goldoni which is written and performed by South West artist, Saikat Ahamed. The show is a Beyond Face production in association with Theatre Royal Plymouth and imPOSSIBLE Producing and explores memory and grief and celebrates theatrical traditions.
In Search of Goldoni is part of TRP’s Drum spring season and is a one-person comedic play that follows Saikat on a family trip to his beloved Venice. Saikat is an actor, writer and poet based in Bristol and has starred in theatre, film, TV and radio as well as working as a writer for stage. He said: “In Search of Goldoni has been a show a long time in the making, it has sat with me through many drafts, in countless dreams and in half formed images that always seem just out of reach.
“Since I lost my father in 2016, I’ve been fascinated by the idea of memory, what we actually remember, what we make up and then convince ourselves we remember and all those moments that are so deeply buried that only an internal earthquake will bring them to light.
“This show is a love letter to the world of theatre, the world that, for better or worse, I have dedicated much of my life to; In Search of Goldoni is a celebration of theatrical traditions from masks to musicals, from the absurd to the heartfelt. It is also a play about existing between different cultures, balancing expectations and trying to find your own route through it all.
“The city of Venice is a character within the show, there’s nowhere on earth quite like it. It has both a beauty and a strangeness that I’ve tried to capture within the play. However, Venice is not the only location in the show, Romford in Essex also features a great deal, a testimony to the fact that we never quite know where we will be when the biggest moments in our lives happen.
“In Search of Goldoni is a show about trying to keep it together when everything seems to be falling apart and realising that sometimes it’s ok to let it go.”
Beyond Face is a South West-based theatre company founded in 2015 that supports local global majority writers and theatre makers to develop their craft and share their work with live audiences. Speaking about working with Beyond Face during its tenth anniversary, Saikat said: "I’m so excited to be working with Beyond Face on this production, humbled by their faith in me and the material. I'm also excited about working with a company which is at the forefront of changing the landscape of the industry for the better."
TRP has a long history of working with Beyond Face and previously worked with fellow co-producers imPOSSIBLE Producing on Tom Fletcher’s The Creakers which premiered in Plymouth in October.
In Search of Goldoni will be asking soul-searching questions like what life is really about when it comes to The Drum at TRP from 07 – 10 May. Tickets are on sale now from https://theatreroyal.com/whats-on/goldoni/.
Full Creative Credits:
Written and Performed by Saikat Ahamed
Directed by Alix Harris
Set and Costume Design Aldo Vazquez
Lighting Rajiv Pattani
Sound and Composition Nicola T. Chang
Movement Joel Daniel
Production Stage Manager Jihan Rizqallah
Stage Manager Victoria Horan
BRISTOL OLD VIC, WESTON STUDIO 1-3 MAY 2025 https://bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/in-search-of-goldoni
THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH, THE DRUM 7-10 MAY 2025 https://theatreroyal.com/whats-on/goldoni/#book
STERTS ARTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CENTRE, LISKEARD 15-16 MAY 2025 https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/sterts/in-search-of-goldoni-beyond-face/e-jqxvyp
THE POLY, FALMOUTH 17 MAY 2025 https://thepoly.org/whats-on/event/3586/in-search-of-goldoni
UNION THEATRE, LONDON, 19 MAY 2025 https://uniontheatre.biz/show/in-search-of-goldoni/
MERCURY THEATRE, COLCHESTER, 22 – 23 MAY 2025 https://www.mercurytheatre.co.uk/event/in-search-of-goldoni/
