In July 2017, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland student, Sanjay Lago, started his placement with Bijli, at the National Theatre of Scotland (NTS).
After meeting with NTS, the word Bijli was flying about, and it was a word Sanjay understood from speaking Punjabi. He soon found out that two friends he knew, Mariem Omari and Umar Ahmed, had started a production company, Bijli. And so began Sanjay’s journey with them.
Sanjay joined Bijli during the rehearsals of their flagship production, One Mississippi, and instantly got involved in discussions on what makes a great show, what's the role of a director/writer/actor, and about verbatim theatre and what it takes to really reach an audience.
On being a part of One Mississippi and Bijli, Sanjay said:
“It's been a great start to placement. Bijli truly is what I have wanted to see in a company in the Scottish Arts Scene. Mariem and Umar have shaped a great and strong company, and I am so excited to be a part of the company right in the middle of a production! One Mississippi is a powerful and emotional piece, acted brilliantly by the cast. And it shows the way that verbatim theatre can educate audiences, in this case raise awareness around Mens’ Mental Health.”
“ And being with NTS gives me more opportunities to learn from a wide range of people... Bijli are such a great choice of Company in Residence at NTS as they are growing and reaching out to more communities and audiences that theatre is calling out for!”
Mariem and Umar have loved having Sanjay on placement, and are particularly grateful for the innovation and creativity he has shown by creating the One Mississippi Behind the Scenes video. Mariem said:
"Sanjay's video came at the perfect moment in time when we were right in the middle of making One Mississippi. He beautifully captures the thoughts of the actors on what the process of making such an emotional piece is like."