Chai with Rai

“True Shakeup” w/ Ra'eesah

Grabbed a cuppa with the talented Ra'eesah to discuss her writing process for "38%" an audio story for the series Symphonies of Beaded Threads. We also discussed her unique voice as an artist, organisational make up of the theatre industry and of course poetry. 
Also, with this I conclude the series of discussing BTS stuff and more with the writers behind Symphonies of Beaded Threads. I hope you enjoyed it and more to come! 
About Ra'eesah: 
Ra’eesah is a multifaceted creative using the mediums of theatre, film, music and spoken word to tell stories, bring people together and effect positive change. She has performed on stage as an actor and singer at the Bush Theatre as well as with The Old Vic/Neon Arts. 
She has produced projects such as The Self-Expression Sessions, a series of spoken word poetry workshops open to people of all ages and abilities, to increase accessibility to the arts and build community through creativity and culture.
Further projects Ra’eesah has produced on include Licence to DV8 at the Royal Albert Hall and arts festivals at Almeida Theatre and London Bubble, focusing on outreach. She is a trustee of the Roundhouse and WEST Youth Zone and has contributed to several other organisations including Old Vic Theatre and A New Direction through youth advisory.
To Listen to Ra'eesah's story CLICK HERE. 
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Social:
Myself: https://www.instagram.com/chaiwithrai_/ & https://twitter.com/chaiwithrai_ & https://www.tiktok.com/@chaiwithrai
Guest: https://www.instagram.com/ra.eesahh/ , https://twitter.com/Ra_eesahh & https://app.spotlight.com/3812-7862-7993
Links:
Myself: https://www.raimuitfum.com/chaiwithraihomepage &
https://linktr.ee/chaiwithrai_ 
Hope you all enjoyed it and Thank you for tuning in. To Subscribe, share, follow my work and everything else is listed above.
 
 

“Thinking Tiramisu” w/ Riana Howarth

Sat down with the wordsmith that is Riana Howarth to discuss a blossoming  and emerging career in theatre and more. We also dove into her audio story "She'd Sit" from the audio series "Symphonies of Beaded Threads"-  the experience of writing that and what she hopes the listeners take from it. 
About Riana:
Riana is an aspiring writer and illustrator with a curiosity for all/most things weird and wonderful. With a background in acting and experience in assisting in youth theatre classes at the Questors Theatre, she uses this knowledge to inspire her creative writing. Between writing theatre reviews for North West End UK, she is trying to develop a consistent writing practice, exploring various themes, topics and styles. She is currently part of the Fresh Direction Program at The Young Vic Theatre (2022/2023).
To Listen to Riana's short audio story Click HERE. 
To subscribe to Patreon  and become a Patron/ supporter of Chai with Rai. 
Social:
Myself: https://www.instagram.com/chaiwithrai_/ & https://twitter.com/chaiwithrai_ & https://www.tiktok.com/@chaiwithrai
Guest: https://www.instagram.com/art.riiii/ & https://creatorsprogram.youngvic.org/member/10091
Links:
Myself: https://www.raimuitfum.com/chaiwithraihomepage &
https://linktr.ee/chaiwithrai_ 
Hope you all enjoyed it and Thank you for tuning in. To Subscribe, share, follow my work and everything else is listed above.
 

“Outside of Gender” w/ Gayathiri Kamalakanthan

Had such a wonderful time discussing community and opportunity as freelance writers in the industry with the wonderful Gayathiri Kamalakanthan. And of course we discussed the writing process for the audio story "Chemo in the Summer". 
About Gayathiri:
Gayathiri is a Tamil poet and sex education facilitator. They’re interested in how language shapes childhood and how we use it to queer the future. Gayathiri won the Faber & Andlyn Publisher’s Prize 2022, the Primadonna Fiction Prize 2021 and they were shortlisted for the Bridport Poetry Prize 2022. Gayathiri runs the poetry workshop series WORD-BENDERS at The Common Press bookshop in East London. Gayathiri is currently a member of the Southbank New Poets Collective. Their debut novel in verse is forthcoming with Faber.
To subscribe to Patreon and become a Patron/ supporter of Chai with Rai. 
To listen to Gayathiri's audio story CLICK HERE. 
Social:
Myself: https://www.instagram.com/chaiwithrai_/ & https://twitter.com/chaiwithrai_ & https://www.tiktok.com/@chaiwithrai
Guest: https://www.instagram.com/unembarrassable/ 
Links:
Myself: https://www.raimuitfum.com/chaiwithraihomepage &
https://linktr.ee/chaiwithrai_ 
Guest: https://linktr.ee/gayathirikamalakanthan 
Hope you all enjoyed it and Thank you for tuning in. To Subscribe, share, follow my work and everything else is listed above.

“Sisters not Twins” w/ Bethany Gemmell

I have to say and say it I will! If you are a writer! You must and you must listen to structure and how just telling this conversation is especially if you are an emerging writer. So many great antidotes to take and implement into your world. 
Sitting down with the stunning Bethany Gemmell to discuss writing and how a world is created and how "Catherine" was made for Symphonies of Beaded Threads . 
About Bethany: 
Bethany Henry Gemmell LLM (he/him) is a Northern non-binary artist in London, working as Production Coordinator for a multi-award-winning company. In 2022, he quit working as a teacher and dove into theatre and television full-time. Career highlights so far include: producing, directing and writing for Neurospace Theatre's showcase presenting autistic work at Barons Court in February 2022; stage-managing for Black British Theatre-nominated Saturn Returns at Brixton House/Southbank Centre/Northern School of Contemporary Dance; and being assistant director for the LGBT+ play Welcome Home at Soho Theatre in January 2023. His biggest creative passion is writing. Currently, he is a part of Young Vic's selective Creators Program and he has a television show in development that is based on his play M. E. Trout, which is about an autistic woman dealing with grief and broken relationships. When he is not working, he is building a trans theatre company (Twitter: @transgrtheatre) and reading about sociopolitical issues, so much so that he has recently graduated with a Masters in Human Rights Law - as such, he gets quite nerdy about that sort of thing. His staged short play Wolf (2023), which was his first ever submission to Theatre503's Rapid Write Response scheme, is the latest achievement in Bethany's emerging writing career.
To Listen to Bethany's audio short story CLICK HERE. 
To subscribe to Patreon and become a Patron/ supporter of Chai with Rai. 
Social:
Myself: https://www.instagram.com/chaiwithrai_/ & https://twitter.com/chaiwithrai_ & https://www.tiktok.com/@chaiwithrai
Guest: https://www.instagram.com/hgemmellian/ & https://twitter.com/hengemmell 
Links:
Myself: https://www.raimuitfum.com/chaiwithraihomepage &
https://linktr.ee/chaiwithrai_ 
Guest: https://creatorsprogram.youngvic.org/member/11946
Hope you all enjoyed it and Thank you for tuning in. To Subscribe, share, follow my work and everything else is listed above.
 

“YouTube Rabbit Holes” w/ Yasmine Dankwah

The incredible soul that is Yasmine Dankwah sat down and discussed her process of storytelling, YouTube rabbit holes and of course Spoken word vs poetry. 
Here is the link to Yasmine's short story titled "An Epic: as told by my grandma’s photo album " for Symphonies of Beaded Threads 
About Yasmine: 
Yasmine Dankwah is a British-Ghanaian spoken word artist and writer based in South London. She is interested in exploring how resistance in the form of identity-based discrimination can act as a springboard for joy in live performance by using music, spoken word poetry and lyricism. She is currently an artist on Boundless Theatre’s Accelerator programme and part of the Emerging Writer’s Group at the Bush Theatre. Last year, she became a recipient of the Francis Chagrin award and was featured on BBC Radio London for her audio play I Used To Know H.I.M, which was commissioned by Chronic Insanity Theatre.
To subscribe to Patreon  and become a Patron/ supporter of Chai with Rai. 
Social:
Myself: https://www.instagram.com/chaiwithrai_/ & https://twitter.com/chaiwithrai_ & https://www.tiktok.com/@chaiwithrai
Guest: https://www.instagram.com/yasminedankwah/ & https://twitter.com/yasmined77?lang=en 
Links:
Myself: https://www.raimuitfum.com/chaiwithraihomepage &
https://linktr.ee/chaiwithrai_ 
Hope you all enjoyed it and Thank you for tuning in. To Subscribe, share, follow my work and everything else is listed above.
 

“Cats bring joy or Allergies” w/ Carmina Bernhardt

Finally and I mean Finally managed to get Carmina Bernhardt for an intevrview. Carrying on with the series we grabbed a cuppa and discussed the inspiration behind Carmina's piece "Brainfreeze" from the audio series "Symphonies of Beaded Threads" and her love of cats and more!
About Carmina:
Carmina Bernhardt is a Vancouver-born and London-based actor, writer, director, script reader, and coach for stage and screen. Graduated with Distinction from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama's MA Acting for Screen, and completed a BA in Music Theatre Performance from Capilano University. Recipient of the London Library’s Emerging Writers Award, and selected for New Earth Theatre's BESEA Professional Writers Programme.
To listen to Carmina's short story "Brainfreeze" CLICK HERE. 
To subscribe to Patreon  and become a Patron/ supporter of Chai with Rai. 
Social:
Myself: https://www.instagram.com/chaiwithrai_/ & https://twitter.com/chaiwithrai_ & https://www.tiktok.com/@chaiwithrai
Guest: https://www.instagram.com/carminabernhardt/ & https://twitter.com/dasbernhardt?lang=en
Links:
Myself: https://www.raimuitfum.com/chaiwithraihomepage &
https://linktr.ee/chaiwithrai_ 
Guest: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6486835/ & https://app.spotlight.com/9179-0197-9303 
Hope you all enjoyed it and Thank you for tuning in. To Subscribe, share, follow my work and everything else is listed above.
 

“Lease on Life” w/ Afriya- Jasmine Nylander

Carrying on with the interview series with the writers from "Symphonies of Beaded Threads" diving into the mind of Afriya- Jasmine Nylander. who wrote the short story titled "Professional Daydreamer".  
About Afriya:
Afriya-Jasmine Nylander is a Writer, Actor and Producer based in West London. She studied Theatre at the Brit School where she performed Shakespeare at Stratford-Upon-Avon, was chosen for the NSDF Festival 2021, and was a part of the Bridge Company. 
In 2023, she had her professional Debut in Charli Josephine’s play “Flies”and was involved in The Lyric Hammersmith stage response project of “The African Mean Girls”. She has worked with the National Theatre as an assistant producer of “Death of England: Closing Time” written by the award-winning Clint Dyer and Roy Williams. She is also a part of the National Theatre alumni Writers group.
She currently works at the Kiln Theatre and is writing her debut play “Everyone’s Invited”. 
To subscribe to Patreon and become a Patron/ supporter of Chai with Rai. 
Social:
Myself: https://www.instagram.com/chaiwithrai_/ & https://twitter.com/chaiwithrai_ & https://www.tiktok.com/@chaiwithrai
Guest: https://www.instagram.com/afriya.j/
Links:
Myself: https://www.raimuitfum.com/chaiwithraihomepage &
https://linktr.ee/chaiwithrai_ 
Hope you all enjoyed it and Thank you for tuning in. To Subscribe, share, follow my work and everything else is listed above.
 

“Risky Theatre” w/ Soria Hamidi

Excited to be releasing an interview series with the the writers from the short audio storytelling series on Chai with Rai "Symphonies of Beaded Threads". Let's warm up that delicious cuppa and dive into it with Soria Hamidi who wrote "Take my Picture" 
About Soria:
Soria Hamidi is an Afghan playwright, prose fiction writer and dramaturg. Her work focuses on silenced histories, communities and people by exploring the stories through a class-based, racial and feminist perspective. 
She has completed the Kiln Theatre’s Listen Local Writers Programme where she developed and staged her short play on Afghan feminism. She has been selected for the London Library’s Emerging Writers Programme to research and write a play on the commercialisation of war and trauma. She completed the Writerz and Scribez and the Vineyard Theatre Literary Programme. 
To subscribe to Patreon  (listen to the audio version of without ads or intro/outro ) and become a Patron/ supporter of Chai with Rai. 
To Listen to Soria's short "Take My Picture"  Click HERE. 
Social:
Myself: https://www.instagram.com/chaiwithrai_/ & https://twitter.com/chaiwithrai_ & https://www.tiktok.com/@chaiwithrai
Guest: https://www.instagram.com/soriahh/ 
Links:
Myself: https://www.raimuitfum.com/chaiwithraihomepage &
https://linktr.ee/chaiwithrai_ 
Hope you all enjoyed it and Thank you for tuning in. To Subscribe, share, follow my work and everything else is listed above.

“Bloody: Just do it” w/ Vidya Patel

Getting into more deep chatter and games with the one and only Vidya Patel. Enjoy part 2 and you can also now listen to Part 1 HERE. 
In the episode we discuss:
Culture of Dance commissioning. 
A tip on being financial savvy.
A tip on funding, application how to get things done . 
A tip on dance artists transitioning into facilitation or choreographing or movement direction?
3 things the dance culture be it South Asian led or overall industry that could do with or without
Note: 
Artists mentioned in the podcast are: Aditi Mangaldas, Hiten Patel and Shammi Pithia.  
To subscribe to Patreon  (watch the full unedited video version of this) and become a Patron/ supporter of Chai with Rai. 
Social:
Myself: https://www.instagram.com/chaiwithrai_/ & https://twitter.com/chaiwithrai_ & https://www.tiktok.com/@chaiwithrai
Guest: https://www.instagram.com/_vidyapatel/ & https://twitter.com/vidyapatel96 
 
Links:
Myself: https://www.raimuitfum.com/chaiwithraihomepage &
https://linktr.ee/chaiwithrai_ 
Guest: https://www.vidyapatel.com/ 
Hope you all enjoyed it and Thank you for tuning in. To Subscribe, share, follow my work and everything else is listed above.
 
 

“Decision Making” w/ Vidya Patel

This is going to be a two-parted episode BECAUSE I just had to dive into this brilliant human's mind.
Got to speak with the incredible Choreographer, Movement artist and wonderful human that is Vidya Patel. From connecting on Gujarati sayings to discussing decoding Classical Indian dance, it's access, Uday Shankar and so much more! This is a jam packed one. 
In the episode we discuss:
Creation exploration? What is it you look for? The room to feel like ?What does the world of your creativity feel and sound like ? 
Do you separate the lineage/ history of what you have been taught of all artistic vocabulary such as kathak and chow when facilitating and how you manoeuvre that if so?
The balance of artistic expression and storytelling you have? 
What inspires you/ drives you to create still?
How do you balance the room when comissioned with everything and what have you found a tip on in getting consistent work?
What you have learnt about yourself through the craft and about your craft through the years?
To subscribe to Patreon  (watch the full unedited video version of this) and become a Patron/ supporter of Chai with Rai. 
Social:
Myself: https://www.instagram.com/chaiwithrai_/ & https://twitter.com/chaiwithrai_ & https://www.tiktok.com/@chaiwithrai
Guest: https://www.instagram.com/_vidyapatel/ & https://twitter.com/vidyapatel96 
 
Links:
Myself: https://www.raimuitfum.com/chaiwithraihomepage &
https://linktr.ee/chaiwithrai_ 
Guest: https://www.vidyapatel.com/ 
Hope you all enjoyed it and Thank you for tuning in. To Subscribe, share, follow my work and everything else is listed above.