Goodnight Maharajah

Produced and Presented by ŚŪNYA Company

Saturday 7 June - 7:30pm (doors 7pm)

GOODNIGHT MAHARAJAH is a brand new stage production based on the extraordinary life of Maharajah Duleep Singh — the last King of Punjab and youngest child of Maharajah Ranjit Singh.

Created by Indofuturist cross-arts innovators ŚŪNYA Company, this bold and dreamlike new work is coming to The Cockpit for an exclusive work-in-progress performance.

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Berlin, 1893. Victor Duleep Singh is having a restless night. Haunted by the past, he sees visions of his estranged father — the Maharajah — emerging from an old picture frame. Over the course of the night, Maharajah Duleep Singh begins to speak. He recounts the journey of his life: being separated from his mother Maharani Jind Kaur, the loss of the Sikh ☬ Empire to the British while still a child, his unlikely rise as Queen Victoria’s ‘favourite’, and, after returning to his roots, the resistance campaign he orchestrated — one that reached across Europe and beyond. But how does the Maharajah’s version of events square with Victor’s own memories of his father’s neglect and abandonment?

This is a story about memory, identity, and the fractured legacy of the British Empire. With colonial histories and cultural inheritance still affecting contemporary diaspora, this innovative production explores the frictions between parent and child, nation and empire, truth and illusion. Blending traditional and experimental storytelling, GOODNIGHT MAHARAJAH unfolds through live electronics and the textured richness of Indian music, performed live on stage by professional musicians and a community chorus.

Please note that this is a work-in-progress performance following 8 days of Research & Development. Some sections may be performed by actors script-in-hand and/or performed unstaged in a concert-style presentation.

The run time is a rough estimate. After a short break, the company will hold a brief Q&A, hosted by the Director, to assist with their research for this project.

This Research & Development stage of GOODNIGHT MAHARAJAH is made possible with support from Arts Council England, Newham Music, Essex Cultural Diversity Project, Collage Arts, Croydon Unitarians, Sibling Arts, Alex Etchart, Heather Basten Casting, Raj Academy, Raj Academy UK, Arts La'Olam, Green St Library, Forest Gate Library, Manor Park Library, Rosetta Arts, Sarbat Sikhs, The Jago Dalston and @southasianmaps

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The Team

Producer:
ŚŪNYA शून्य a new arts company blending Indian and Western styles across music, theatre and dance, whilst highlighting diverse stories, particularly those with a South Asian angle.

Writer-Composers:
Kiran Sodhi-Kalsi-Ghatoure
Joe Steele

Director:
Ben Grant

Cast:
Young Maharajah Duleep Singh / Prince Victor Duleep Singh - Nikhil Singh Rai
Bamba Müller / Maharani Jind Kaur / Queen Victoria / Ada Douglas Wetherill - Siobhan Athwal
Older Maharajah Duleep Singh - Kiran SKG
Dr. Login, India Office & others - Krushnaa Chousalkar

Musicians:
Kiran SKG - Dilruba, Bansuri, Voice
Joe Steele - Synths, Harmonium, Voice
Amisha Karsan - Sitar
Randeep Kaur Bilkhu - Tabla, percussion

Dramaturgy:
Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong
Jo Tyabji

Production Assistant:
Simran Patel

Outreach Manager:
Anjalina Kaur

Community Engagement Support:
Mohinder Kaur Kalsi-Ghatoure

Punjabi Translator:
Raoul Akhtar Sodhi

Casting Consultancy:
Heather Basten

Illustrator & Poster:
Shweta Sharma

Follow the journey on Instagram: @sunya_company

Running time:

80 minutes

Recommended age 12+. Contains themes of racism (including a racial slur), xenophobia, displacement, bereavement and colonial violence.