Combustion

Combustion

by Asif Khan

a fabulously comic take on the combustion surrounding young British Muslim lives

• Contemporary play by Asian writer set against the backdrop of a Northern Grooming scandal
• Drama suitable for schools, colleges and youth theatres
• Asian Studies, Black and Asian interest

 

Bradford, in the month of Ramadan. Shaz, a local garage mechanic, is trying to keep his business going despite the terrible scandal of Asian men involved in grooming young girls for sex in the area. Racists plan to march through the city in protest and Samina, Shaz’s sister wants to make a speech at a counter-demonstration. Shaz just wants a quiet life so that his prospective in-laws will let him marry their beautiful daughter, but as the city gets swept up in the protest, his world gets turned upside down.

Reviews

“★★★★ A brave, important and necessary play… If I were running the National, I’d pick up this play pronto to ensure it’s amplified further.”

—The Telegraph

“★★★★ [Asif Khan’s] debut outing as a playwright is impressive, bringing clarity and humour to dark and difficult material.”

—The Stage

“★★★★ A triumph: a savagely funny, thought-provoking piece, which lingers long in the memory.”

—The Peg

“★★★★ Asif Khan will be familiar to London audiences primarily as an actor, but in Combustion, he proves to be as adept a playwright as a performer.”

—LondonTheatre1

“★★★★★ Pure magic.”

—Hiive

About the author

Asif was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire and attended Salt Grammar School, Baildon. Before attending drama school he studied at The University of Bradford.

He is currently commissioned to write three new plays and is also developing a screen adaptation of Combustion.

As an Actor

Trained at The Royal Academy Of Dramatic Art (RADA).

Theatre includes: Tartuffe (RSC), Love, Bombs & Apples (San Francisco & UK Tour), A Passage To India (Simple8/Royal & Derngate/Park Theatre), Love, Bombs & Apples (Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 2017), The Hypocrite (RSC/HullTruck), Paradise of the Assassins (Tara Arts), Love, Bombs & Apples (Arcola & UK Tour 2016), Handbagged (UK Tour 2015, Tricycle Theatre/Eleanor Lloyd Productions), Love, Bombs & Apples (Arcola Theatre 2015), Punjabi Boy (RichMix), Multitudes (Tricycle Theatre), The Nutcracker & The Mouse King (Unicorn Theatre), The Book (Flying Cloud), Queen of the Nile (HullTruck), Kabaddi Kabaddi Kabaddi (Arcola Theatre), The Snow Queen (Unicorn Theatre/ Trestle), Snookered (Tamasha/ Bush Theatre), Mixed Up North (Out of Joint), Twelfth Night (National Theatre), Playback (Ankur Productions).

Screen work includes: Diana & I (BBC2), Love Type D (Feature film to be released soon), Spooks (Series 10), Doctor Who, The Dumping Ground, Doctors, Casualty (BBC). Dark Matters, Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal (Sky1), Man Down, Bradford Riots and ‘Plot to Bring Down Britain’s Planes’ (Channel 4) .

As a Writer

COMBUSTION – Selected as one of 6 new plays for the Arcola Theatre’s playWROUGHT#2 Festival, 2014. Progressed through to the final stage of the BBC Writers Room Script Room 8 Scheme. Produced by AIK productions and Tara Arts (2017).

TIGHT BASTARDS – Performed as a reading at the Soho Theatre for Tamasha Theatre (2015) and at Theatre503 (2016). Currently developing full length play.

WILLKOMMEN – A play on Migration for teenagers. Commissioned by Tamasha & The Migration Museum for Landau Forte College (Derby).

THE PLOT – Performed as a reading at the Soho Theatre for NEW MUSLIM VOICES, Sept 2016, as part of the Tamasha Scratch Night – Commissioned by Tamasha. Recently commissioned to develop the full length play with Tamasha.

THE LADY – Commissioned by Tamasha. Performed by students from Swansea School at RichMix & Theatre Royal Stratford East.

DIRTY SHINY BRADFORD – A television comedy series in development with co-writer with Philip D McQuillan.

RIFCO & WATFORD PALACE THEATRE – A commission to develop a new full length play. Supported by the Channel 4 Playwrights’ Scheme.

NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE – A commission to develop a new full length play.

YOUNG MUSLIM VOICES – A short film by Voices.

Asif has been a member of the Tamasha Playwrights Group, the Arcola’s Middle Eastern, Asian and North African writers group & BBC Comedy Room.

Award/nominations as a Writer

ADOPT A PLAYWRIGHT AWARD (OffWestEnd.Com) – Nominated and made it through to the final shortlist.

COMBUSTION – WINNER of BEST STAGE PRODUCTION at the Asian Media Awards 2017

COMBUSTION – WINNER of BEST PRODUCTION at EASTERN EYE ARTS, CULTURE & THEATRE AWARDS 2018

COMBUSTION – Nominated for Two OFFWESTEND Awards inc BEST NEW PLAY & MALE PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

COMBUSTION – Nominated for a STAGE DEBUT AWARD  2017 for Best Writer.

CHANNEL 4 PLAYWRIGHTS’ SCHEME 2018 – WINNER. The scheme celebrates emerging British playwriting talent and has been supported by Channel 4 for the past five years.

Was on the ‘BBC New Talent Hotlist 2017 ‘ for new writers.

www.theasifkhan.com

@The_AsifKhan