Oxford Playhouse & Tamasha Theatre Company stage new audio play recorded on location in hospital Covid wards

Junior doctor and playwright, Shaan Sahota, has written a brand new audio play, which will be staged at Oxford Playhouse next month.

In a collaboration between the venue and Tamasha Theatre Company, Under the Mask tells the story of newly qualified doctor, Jaskaran – one of hundreds of final year medical students who finished their studies early in March 2020 and immediately started work on the frontline of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Each audience member will sit on their own chair, lit by their own lighting state, and they will listen through headphones to the fully immersive, 360-degree binaural experience.

Under the Mask is an extraordinary debut from Sahota, recorded on location in real Covid hospital wards. It provides a first-person doctor’s perspective on the Coronavirus pandemic in British hospitals, putting the listener into their shoes, uncovering a remarkable story of fortitude, hope and strength.

Artistic Director at Tamasha, Fin Kennedy, said: “Under The Mask is the thrilling debut by Shaan Sahota, a phenomenally talented new playwright who Tamasha is proud to have trained. Originally inspired by a moving first-person article about her work in Covid ICUs, which Shaan had published in The Guardian, it has proved to be a powerful subject matter for an experiment in binaural sound. The result gives every listener a first-person perspective of what a generation of young doctors experienced, and the profound existential questions which working at the interface of life and death inevitably brings up.”

Programme Director for Oxford Playhouse, Laura Elliot, added: “Oxford Playhouse is hugely excited about this new co-production with Tamasha Theatre, which is one of six new commissions that the Playhouse has created especially for audiences under socially distanced working. This extraordinary debut by Shaan Sahota, will place listeners at the heart of the play through a fully-immersive, binaural sound experience, creating a remarkable theatrical experience.”

Under the Mask will play at Oxford Playhouse on 14 & 15 November 2020, with a Q&A session after each installation with the creative team. 

For more information and to book tickets, please click here.