TARA History

On July 4th 1976, Gurdip Singh Chaggar, a 17-year old Sikh boy living in Southall, fell victim to a racist murder. Out of the inferno surrounding his death, an Asian public presence emerged in Britain, with a variety of Asian Youth Movements springing up in all the major British cities... and TARA.

TARA's three decades of making cross-cultural theatre began on 25th August 1977, with an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's anti-war play, Sacrifice. This production marked both a response to Gurdip Singh Chaggar's death and a critique of injustices within Asian communities. TARA's mission was clear: to make imaginative connections across cultures, through presentations of classics and new theatre work.

From our patrons...

"Over the years TARA has proved itself a uniquely seductive British theatre company. Its blend of East and West continues to inspire an alluring vision of modern Britain."
Hanif Kureishi, CBE

"TARA's work is a terrific synthesis of east and west."
Sir Richard Eyre

"TARA has had an extraordinary journey from passionate student work inspired initially by a racist murder in Southall to its present settled position firmly embedded in the British national theatre scene. In the process they interrogated themselves and challenged the theatre sector and both have been changed in the process. They have brought another sensibility onto the scene, stretched British cultural life and helped to make those of us with different origins visible to both ourselves and others. May their next 30 years be as illuminating."
Naseem Khan, OBE

 

All of TARA's past shows are listed in our online archive.