Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti
Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti (born Watford) is a British Sikh writer. She has written extensively for stage, screen and radio.[1] Her play Behzti (Dishonour) was cancelled by the Birmingham Rep after peaceful protests by Sikhs turned violent against the play and alleged death threats forced Bhatti to go into hiding.[2][3]
Life
Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti’s first play Behsharam (Shameless) received criticism by the Sikh community when it opened in 2001.
In 2005 Behzti won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for the best English language play written by a woman.[4][5]
In 2010 her follow-up to Behzti titled Behud (Beyond Belief) [6] was co-produced by Soho Theatre and Coventry Belgrade and shortlisted for the John Whiting Award.
In 2014, Khandan (Family) opened to sell out audiences at the Birmingham Rep and the Royal Court Theatre.
In June 2014, her first anthology of plays - Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti : PLAYS ONE, was published by Oberon Books (ISBN 9781783191307).
She is now working on a stage commission for the National Theatre. Gurpreet also regularly writes for The Archers,[7] the Radio 4 drama serial.
Awards
- 2003 Nominated for the Race in the Media Award, by the Commission for Racial Equality in the radio music/entertainment category for North East South West.[8]
- Asian Women of Achievement awards, nominated twice [9]
- 2005 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, a US-based award of $10,000 made annually to the best English language play by a woman, for Behzti.[4][5]
- 2010 Behud (Beyond Belief) nominated for the John Whiting Award
Works
Plays
- Behsharam (Shameless). Oberon Books. 1 April 2002. ISBN 978-1-84002-249-0. Soho Theatre, London 2001
- Behzti (Dishonour). Oberon Books. 1 September 2005. ISBN 978-1-84002-522-4. The Door, Birmingham Rep, Birmingham, UK 2005
- Come to Where I'm From, "Come to Where I'm From - Watford". 19 December 2010., Listen to the Podcast at Painesplough
- Behud (Beyond Belief). Oberon Books. April 2010. ISBN 978-1-84943-096-8. Soho Theatre, London 2010
- Londonee, "World Premiere at Rich Mix Theatre". 25 May 2012. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Mukul and Ghetto Tigers and Lifeguard Productions
- Two Old Ladies, Leicester Haymarket 2000
- Fourteen (2014),[10] "Premeier at Watford Palace Theatre". 21 May 2014. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Watford Palace Theatre commissioned ‘Fourteen’ after Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti wrote a short play for ‘Come To Where I’m From’ in 2010, co-produced by Watford Palace Theatre and Paines Plough
- Khandan (Family) (2014),[11] Premiere at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. 22 May 2014. ISBN 978-1-78319-093-5. A Royal Court Theatre and Birmingham Repertory Theatre Co-production
Radio, films, teleplays
- Heart of Darkness (Feb 2013), Stone, BBC Radio 4
- The Archers (2012),[7] BBC Radio 4
- Everywhere and Nowhere, Feature Film, 2011
- Dead Meat, half-hour film produced by Channel 4 as part of the Dogma TV season
- Stitched Up, Commissioned Series for BBC1
- Honour, Single Film for BBC2
- The Cleaner, Hour-long Film for BBC1
- Lipstick and Nails, Police Drama for Great Meadow Productions
- Pound Shop Boys, originally commissioned by October Films/Film Council/Scottish Screen and developed through PAL
- Airport 2000, Leicester Haymarket / Riverside Studios
- An Enemy of the People, 2010, hour-long episode for BBC World Service
- Fourteen Units a Week, 2010, From Fact to Fiction, BBC Radio 4
- Mera Des (My Country), BBC Radio 3
- My Lithuanian Lady, BBC World Service
- Westway, over thirty episodes – 1999-2001 – of the BBC World Service Radio Drama Series
- Eastenders, BBC 1, nine episodes – 2001-04
References
- "Ten years after my play Behzti sparked Sikh riots, I'm back Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti". Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti. The Guardian. 24 May 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- "This warrior is fighting on". The Guardian. London. 13 January 2005.
- "Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti: 'I'm not scared'". Alfred Hickling. The Guardian. 15 March 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- "XXVII. 2004-05". blackburnprize.org. 3 July 2005. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
- 'Bezhti' author wins prize for women playwrights, Louise Jury, The Independent, 8 March 2005, retrieved 9 June 2009
- 'Behud', Michael Billington, The Guardian, 31 March 2010, retrieved 24 December 2012
- "A Week in Ambridge". Archers summaries on the web. 10 June 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
- "Profile: Playwright Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti". BBC News. 20 December 2004.
- http://awa.realbusiness.co.uk/
- "Fourteen: Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti's new play examines the growing pains of teenage life". Fourteen play. 23 May 2014. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- "Khandan: Sikh suburban drama confronts home truths". Khandan play. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
External links
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