MEET THE ASSOCIATES
Fakhriya Abdulkadir
Fakhriya is undertaking her BA in Community Development at the University of Glasgow. Her passion for working with communities has inspired her to learn and listen to others stories. Being part of the Bijli project, ‘We Make the Path’, has sparked an interest in poetry as a means of sharing and voicing what lies deep within her. This has encouraged her to write unapologetically. In her spare time, Fakhriya enjoys watching comedy as “laughter is the medicine of the soul”.
Raisah Ahmed
Raisah is a Scottish Asian Muslim Writer/Director, currently working across TV and film. She has been shortlisted for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab twice - in 2015 with Meet Me By The Water and in 2018 with Safar. She is in development with WW1 feature Half-Moon Camp for Film 4. Her writing credits include CBeebies shows Feeling Better, Molly and Mack, and Control, a BBC The Social phone drama, and Aden’s Journey, a short drama about a refugee unaccompanied minor. Alumni of the EIFF Talent Lab 2014, Raisah had her first commissioned short, Meet Me By The Water, premiere at EIFF 2016, and she directed one of BBC 3’s The Break III and two of CBBC’s ’Sparks’ episodes.
Humayra Akbar
Humayra’s writing is the negotiation of a Pakistani-Scottish split consciousness, being both, yet neither completely. She explores the contention between individuality and belonging; and love and power.
Grant Anderson
Grant is a lighting designer for the entertainment industry who’s work covers the worlds of theatre, music, events, fashion and architecture. He trained at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland receiving the Dean of Drama Award for Best Individual Work. Selected theatre credits include: Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs, Light on the Shore (Edinburgh International Festival); The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (Unigram); The Steamie (Neil Laidlaw Productions); My Left Right Foot, Submarine Time Machine, One Mississippi, and To Begin (National Theatre of Scotland).
Rabia Begum
Muslim, British, Asian. Mother, sister, daughter. Originally from England, now living in Glasgow. I turn to the outdoors to recharge and rebalance in my hectic life. My children are my everything. My writing is a journey which begun in my childhood as a way of dealing with life and its pressures, and though shelved many times, I now continue the search to understand myself, hoping that through the expression of poetry I can find peace in the traumas that have shaped me.
ADAM BUKSH
Adam is a Glasgow based actor who has been working professionally since he graduated in 2009. He works mainly in Theatre (How to Make a Killing in Bollywood, Caesar, Macbeth) but has also done motion capture for the Bannockburn Exhibition, TV and Film (Scot Squad, The Break - Soul Journey, The Wife) and is currently a continuity announcer for STV.
Adam is very excited to be working again with Bijli and to bring One Mississippi to new audiences in Scotland.
Raghad Chaar
Raghad was born in Aleppo, Syria before moving to Edinburgh when she was 2 years old. In 2011 Chaar gained a place at the prestigious Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where she trained in BA Acting and graduated in 2014. Since graduating she has appeared on stage, on TV screen and in films. Most recently she can be seen in Billie Piper's I Hate Suzie (2020) on Sky Atlantic. In 2020 Adnan - a short film in which Raghad plays a leading character, toured the world in the festival circuit and has 11 laurels so far. Raghad has written her first short film 'Ore' and is planning towards her directing debut.
Seyma Dag
Seyma is a Turkish Filmmaker and Editor currently undertaking BA Filmmaking course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (graduating in 2022). During her studies Seyma has been working on numerous student fiction and experimental films as well as working on professional side projects as an Editor for organisations such as Scottish Youth Theatre, Glasgow Film Theatre and Bijli. She has formerly programmed the Glasgow Youth Film Festival 2019 and 2020 at which she organised the event, introduced screenings and interviewed filmmakers.
Nick Danan
Nick was born and raised in Belfast and his extensive theatre credits include Quietly & The Turn of the Screw (Omnibus Theatre, London), Antony & Cleopatra (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Lieutenant of Inishmore (RSC), The Titanic Boys (Grand Opera House, Belfast), The Quare Fellow (Tricycle Theatre, London & UK Tour), The Shadow of a Gunman (Tricycle Theatre), This Lime Tree Bower (Belgrade Theatre, Coventry), Gym & Tonic (Hull Truck) and Juno & The Paycock (Leicester Haymarket). His Television credits include WPC56, Henry V and Safe. Nick is also Artistic Director of Strange Fish Theatre Company which brings great Irish plays to this side of the Irish Sea.
Benny Goodman
Benny is a freelance lighting designer and creative collaborator, based in Glasgow. He has worked in theatres across the UK in a variety of projects and productions, and is a creative collaborator with theatre company, Wonder Fools. Selected credits include: Meet Jan Black (Ayr Gaiety); Maim (Tron Theatre); I Can Go Anywhere (Traverse Theatre); The Drift (National Theatre of Scotland); The Afflicted (Summerhall); Act of Repair (Scottish Youth Theatre National Tour); Country Music (Omnibus Theatre); 549: Scots of the Spanish Civil War (UK Tour); Snow Queen (Associate - Dundee Rep Theatre); Like Animals (Tron Theatre); Ayanfe Opera (Bridewell Theatre, London) Lampedusa (Citizens Theatre); Circle of Fifths (Tron Theatre/Cockpit Theatre London).
Maryam Hamidi
Maryam is writer/director of Short Circuit/BFI Network funded supernatural drama Bahar (15’, 2021 Moquette films) currently in post production and Scottish Film Talent Network funded Bloody Love (7’, 2017 Clan Productions). Her play script Moonset is currently in development with the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow.
Maryam is a mentee on the 2021 Channel 4 Screenwriting programme and was selected for the inaugural BBC Scottish Drama Writers Programme 2021. She has drama and comedy-drama projects in development with World Productions, Two Rivers Media and Channel X Hopscotch and she’s recipient of Fire Exit experimental playwriting award and the Playwright’s Studio Scotland New Playwright’s Award.
Lewis den Hertog
Lewis is an audio-visual designer, artist and composer based in Glasgow. He has worked on numerous productions over the past ten years for a broad range of UK theatre companies. Recent productions include: We Are In Time, directed by Stewart Laing in collaboration with the Scottish String Ensemble in 2020, and The Panopticon, adapted by Jenni Fagan from her award winning novel and directed by Debbie Hannan for the National Theatre of Scotland in 2019. Lewis is a member of theatre company groupwork, and co-created their Fringe First Award-winning debut The Afflicted in 2019.
Shilpa T-Hyland
Shilpa graduated from the MA in Classical and Contemporary text at the Royal Conservatoire Scotland in 2017. She has a first-class degree in Theatre Studies and English Literature from Glasgow University and the University of California, Davis.
Recent work includes: Directing We’ll Meet in Moscow (Traverse Theatre), Roxana (Paisley Book Festival/Renfrewshire leisure), and How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found (Royal Conservatoire Scotland), Associate Directing Still (Traverse Theatre), and Pride and Prejudice (Sort Of) (Blood of the Young, The Lyceum Theatre & others), and assistant directing Crocodile Fever (Traverse Theatre, JMK regional bursary, funded by the Leverhulme Trust Arts Scholarships Fund). She was the inaugural winner of the Horsecross Trust Young Director Award, for which she directed a production of Miss Julie in February 2019.
Mark Jeary-Fairbairn
Mark is a theatre maker working as an actor, playwright, director and producer. He grew up in a working-class family in London and trained as an actor at City Lit. Personal experience of addiction and trauma has influenced his practice – initially with the set-up of New Room Theatre. New Room was established to bring stories that are rarely heard to the stage. Mark then studied Classical and Contemporary Text (masters) at RCS and wrote his first play, Blackout, in 2013. A part autobiographical verbatim play about alcoholism and recovery – Blackout sold out on its first three shows in Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as in London, at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016, and as part of the Made In Scotland showcase in 2018. Blackout was shortlisted for the Verity Bargate Award. Since then Mark wrote his second play X and Y, and is currently working on new ideas around performance and neurodiversity since his own ADHD diagnosis last year. Mark works regularly with playwright Mariem Omari – as an actor, workshop facilitator and director, and was part of the original One Mississippi cast in 2017.
Priyanka Jha
Priyanka is a playwright and director. Born in India, they moved to Scotland to pursue a Masters in Writing for Performance at the University of St Andrews. A 2019 graduate from the University of Oxford in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Priyanka is interested in understanding and asking questions about the socio-political world we live in today.
Jonathan Jones
In 2015, Jonathan moved back to Glasgow to rediscover his Weegie roots. He’s working towards his BA in English Lit and Creative Writing. He’s quick witted, kind hearted and brimming with passion and potential.
SCOTT KYLE
Scott is best known for his role as ‘Ross’ in the hit US television series Outlander. He has a string of successful stage, film and television credits to his name including a starring role on the big screen as ‘Clancy’ in Ken Loach’s The Angels’ Share. This led to a role portraying real life soldier ‘Corporal Stu Pearson’ in BAFTA nominated Kajaki/Kilo Two Bravo.
In 2010 Scott won The Stage Best Actor for his portrayal of ‘Billy’ in Singin’ I’m No a Billy, He’s a Tim.
Hannah Lavery
Hannah is a poet, playwright, performer and director. In 2020, she was awarded a New Playwrights' Award by the Playwrights Studio Scotland and selected by Owen Sheers’ as one of his Ten Writers Asking Questions That Will Shape Our Future for the International Literature Showcase, a project from the National Writing Centre and the British Council. She was also selected as one of the Scottish Voices for the BBC Writers’ Room. Her poetry has been published widely and her poem, Scotland, you’re no mine, was selected by Roseanne Watt as one of the Best Scottish Poems 2019.
Hannah is an experienced workshop facilitator and mentor and received the Creative Edinburgh Leadership Award in 2020, for her work with the Writers of Colour Writing Group and for curating and directing a film poetry series, Sorry, I Was On Mute, for Fringe of Colour.
Alma Sua Lindenhovius
Alma is a freelance Stage and Production Manager based in Edinburgh. She has worked for several festivals worldwide and works for theatre, dance and circus production in Scotland.
She joined Bijli Productions as Technical Stage Manager for the re-mounting and tour of One Mississippi in 2022.
CALLUM MADGE
Callum trained in Arts Journalism, initially reviewing film and theatre and becoming Editor of the culture website TVBomb (now The Wee Review). In 2013 he started working in the theatre industry for Lung Ha Theatre Company. He is now the Engagement Manager for Birds of Paradise Theatre Company.
As a freelancer he has worked as a Project Manager for: National Theatre of Scotland; Royal Conservatoire of Scotland; Lyceum Theatre; and Traverse Theatre. In 2018 he produced Blackout by New Room Theatre, at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and in 2019 he was Engagement Producer on 8:8 by Mercimax, at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, part of the Swiss Arts Council's Edinburgh Selection.
JOHN McCORMACK
Freelance psychotherapist, consultant and trainer, John's work with people who have experienced homelessness, abuse, and trauma led to his long-standing interest in trauma and recovery. Describing himself as perpetually ‘curious and fascinated’ his knowledge base is primarily derived from listening to the wisdom of people who have experienced extreme distress and who have used drugs and alcohol to self-manage pain.
Experience includes lecturing at university on counselling, tutor on Recovery College courses, and consultant to a wide range of agencies, in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. A firm believer in the creative arts as a pathway to recovery, John is keenly involved in writing and drama group work.
Jen McGinley
Jen is a designer for performance from Glasgow and was awarded the Linbury Prize for Stage Design in 2015. Designs include Distance Remaining (Helen Milne Productions), Fibres (Stellar Quines & Citizens Theatre), Maim (Theatre Gu Leòr), I Can Go Anywhere (Traverse), Cinderella (Not Too Tame), If You’re Feeling Sinister (Avalon/BBC Arts/Tron Theatre); Interference (National Theatre of Scotland); Miss Julie (Perth Theatre); Under Milk Wood, A Song for Ella Grey (Northern Stage); The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other (Royal Lyceum Theatre); Fat Blokes (Scottee/The Southbank Centre); Secret Life of Humans (New Diorama); Who Cares (LUNG); The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Tortoise (National Youth Theatre) and Ring Ring (Gate Theatre).
Katherine Mendelsohn
Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for work with Francophone writers on UK stages. Based in Glasgow, Katherine works as a dramaturg and as a translator of francophone plays into English. Dramaturgy includes development on Mariem Omari’s Revolution Days (Bijli Productions during residency at National Theatre of Scotland); and development on Sylvia Dow’s Woman Walking (Sylvian Productions). Translations include work by writers from Belgium, France, Libya, Québec and Togo. Currently translating a French classic, supported by a Small Grant from the Tom McGrath Trust. International Literary Associate & then Literary Manager, Traverse Theatre, 1999-2012. Before that, Literary Manager, The Gate, London, and assistant to John Barton, Royal Shakespeare Company.
Vicky Mohieddeen
Vicky is a creative facilitator, producer and curator with 15 years experience working with communities around the world, Vicky is currently undertaking the University of Roehampton MA Dramatherapy training (graduating in 2022).
Vicky has worked in film, theatre and photography across continents and cultures in a variety of contexts: in 2016 she curated and produced North Korea’s first foreign art-photography exhibition, in 2018 was the Communities Producer (Scotland) for Danny Boyle’s armistice commemoration, Pages of the Sea, and in 2019 acted as Assistant Director for The Trojans, a powerful adaptation of The Trojan Women created by Syrian adults living in Glasgow. In March 2021 Vicky curated and produced Life in the Time, a multilingual digital exhibition which showcased the lockdown lives of over 100 Muslim and BME women in Scotland through poetry, film and visual art.
Nik Paget-Tomlinson
Nik is a musician, composer and sound designer, creating work for theatre, dance and film. He is an associate artist with Platform Theatre and a regular live accompanist at Dancebase, Scotland’s National Centre for Dance. Nik has worked with a range of theatre and dance companies including Grid Iron, National Theatre of Scotland, Curious Seed, Imaginate, Cultured Mongrel Dance Theatre, Starcatchers and TAG Citizens Theatre.
Credits include Doppler (Grid Iron Theatre Company) Niqabi Ninja (Independent Arts Projects) Hindu Times (Royal Lyceum /Pitlochry Theatre/Naked Productions), Mixed Up (Co-Commissioned and Produced by Imaginate and Starcatchers) As.Was.Could Be (Cultured Mongrel/Mara Menzies), Vent (SYT National Ensemble) Chronicles (National Theatre of Scotland/Project X/Thulani Rachia) Drift (Vision Mechanics).
Skye Reynolds
Skye is an Australian-born, Scottish-based dance artist, performance maker and educator working across multidisciplinary platforms in the UK and abroad. Her creative practice draws upon theatre, comedy and the politics of real life. Projects & collaborations include working with: Curious Seed, Janis Claxton Dance, Jo Fong & Derevo. Skye has been a dance artist in residence with Imaginate & a Movement Director with National Theatre of Scotland. She was invited to Iran to co-devise new dance-theatre with British Council / Fadj International Festival. Skye received a #LoveDanceScotland Recovery Bursary in 2021 to develop new solo work, and is currently creating "S/He into Flesh" with Khamlane Halsackda, a Sweden-Tramway co-production 2022-23.
Tawona Sithole
Better known as Ganyamatope (his ancestral family name) Tawona's heritage inspires him to connect with other people through creativity-inspired learning. A poet and playwright, he is the co-founder of Seeds of Thought, non-profit arts group; Research Associate for MIDEQ Global Migration Hub and UNESCO artist-in-residence at the University of Glasgow.
MANJOT SUMAL
Manjot began his career in community theatre, and since becoming a professional actor has appeared in numerous theatre productions. He has guested on popular Scottish sitcom Still Game (BBC Scotland) and has regular appearances in Fags, Mags and Bags (BBC Radio 4). He is best known for playing PC Surjit Singh in BBC Scotland’s Scot Squad, and is a cast member of CBBC's The Demon Headmaster. Manjot wrote and performed in How To Make A Killing In Bollywood with Umar Ahmed, and was on the BBC Writersroom New Voices 2020 scheme.
Katy Steele
Having toured with Scottish Dance Theatre as Stage Manager from 2015 to 2017, Katy moved to Edinburgh and went freelance. She continued to tour nationally and internationally with companies such as Fish & Game, The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Edinburgh Science, Ailie Coen Puppet Maker, and Barrowland Ballet. During the lockdown in Scotland, she worked with MoonSlide, Ben Harrison, and the Edinburgh International Children's Festival on separate projects which aimed to create and share theatre safely during the pandemic.
Niroshini Thambar
Niroshini is a musician, composer and sound designer collaborating with a range of companies and artists across Scotland and beyond on productions and residences. She works across live theatre, audio drama, installation, and film, and has previously been a session musician on violin and keyboards, performing on the UK live circuit and on album recordings.
Recent work includes Composer/Sound designer for the audio-poetry work The Girls that Hide and Seek (Rupinder Kaur/BBC New Creatives/RuralMedia), Composer for the documentary film in development The Album (BofA Productions) from filmmaker Sana Bilgrami, Series Composer for United Kingdoms (a BBC Radio 4 commission), and Associate Director for the outdoor audio-led production Niqabi Ninja by Sara Shaarawi (Independent Arts Projects).
Ania Urbanowska
Ania is an award winning filmmaker who has worked on numerous short fiction and documentary films, as well as collaborated on experimental and artists projects. Ania's core focus is editing but she has also worked as a cinematographer for some of the more collaborative, experimental projects.
She formerly worked as Post-Production Coordinator at the Scottish Documentary Institute and now is a Co-Director of Media Education, a social enterprise company that uses media as a community development tool and helps people share their experiences through radio and video production, creating positive change in their lives and communities. As part of her practice she delivers editing and filmmaking workshops for people of all ages and abilities.
Laura Walker
Laura is delighted to be part of the One Mississippi team as her first venture in professional theatre. She was offered this opportunity through Theatre of Diversion as a prize for directing an original monologue, Turning Point.
Laura is excited to start her fourth year studying English at the University of St Andrews, and hopes to pursue more opportunities in Scottish theatre.
Bijli Board
Learn more about our Board Members