Dara

DARA, adapted by Tanya Ronder from Shahid Nadeem's play, originally performed by Ajoka Theatre, Pakistan, directed by Nadia Fall.

The cast includes Nathalie Armin, Rudi Dharmalingam, Vincent Ebrahim, Ranjit Krishnamma, Anjli Mohindra, Anneika Rose, Chook Sibtain and Anjana Vasan.

1659. Mughal India. The imperial court, a place of opulence and excess; music, drugs, eunuchs and harems. Two brothers, whose mother's death inspired the Taj Mahal, are heirs to this Muslim empire. Now they fight ferociously for succession. Dara, The Crown prince, has the love of the people – and of his emperor father – but younger brother Aurangzeb holds a different vision for India's future. Islam inspires poetry in Dara, puritanical rigour in Aurangzeb. Can Jahanara, their beloved sister, assuage Aurangzeb's resolve to seize the Peacock Throne and purge the empire?

Spanning the princes' lives from cradle to grave, DARA is an intense domestic drama of global consequence – for Hindustan then and for our world now.