Belgrade Theatre to premiere new children’s show JABALA AND THE JINN online

New children’s play, Jabala and the Jinn, will be livestreamed from the Belgrade Theatre Coventry on Saturday 27 March at 3pm, before being made available on demand.

Asif Khan’s piece tells the story of schoolgirl Jabala. A few months have passed since Jabala’s mum died and her dad is struggling. One morning, she hears a voice speaking to her in Arabic – but there’s no one there. Could it be her mum? Has she imagined it?

With the help of a new refugee boy at school – a Shakespeare enthusiast called Munir – Jabala summons the Jinn (or ‘genie'). But this is no ordinary Jinn and nothing like the ones she’s heard about in her grandma’s stories. Jabala is in for a big surprise!

The tale of a little girl’s playful and adventurous encounter with a very cheeky Jinn is told through a thrilling combination of physical theatre, music and new writing.

Khan said: “We don’t see much theatre or stories about British Muslims, particularly for this age group (5-8 years). These are children who are experiencing theatre for the first time, so seeing something that that they can relate to will bring them back to the theatre again. It’s so important to see yourself represented… I know growing up I didn’t have that, and we can underestimate how important that is to children.”

The premiere will be followed by a Q&A with Khan, director Rosamunde Hutt, the performers and the creative team. The performance will then be available to stream from 31 March-24 April.

To book tickets, please click here.