Kiln Theatre presents
Seed Commissions Rehearsed Readings
by Carina Chatlani, Martha Haidari, Áine McNamara and Philip Ofe
Join us for a rehearsed reading of four debut plays from local writers.
Following Listen Local Young Writers, four playwrights were selected to continue to nurture and develop their skills, having demonstrated extraordinary potential. From 1960s Seoul to modern day Kilburn, these plays span continents and decades and bring fresh voices and talents to the stage.
These readings have been workshopped, dramaturged and staged by Imy Wyatt Corner, former Kiln-Mackintosh Resident Assistant Director.
Dates
26 Nov 2025The Plays
The Cantonese Club
by Carina Chatlani
Set in 1960s Hong Kong, four South Asian women secretly learn Cantonese, improving their daily lives and finding ways to get closer to their dreams. Together, they fall in love with the language and find an unlikely community in one another. This play takes inspiration from Pulitzer Prize winning play ‘English’ and is a comedic drama that provides insight into the lives of women in colonial Hong Kong
Finding Senait
by Martha Haidari
An unexpected loss throws Senait’s world off balance and breaks down her relationship with her older brother. She should be dealing with all of this but it’s much more fun disassociating with her best friend Kelly. Could a chance encounter with charming Hassan be her shot at taking control of her life? Can it ever be that simple?
Not Dead, But Growing
by Áine McNamara
The story of a North-West London pub in five parts. During the World Cup final in 1966, a pregnant Irish girl walks into a pub. In 2024, her granddaughter knocks on the door of the flat that has been built in its place. A Kilburn epic of love, migration, and the ever-changing skyline of London.
Government Issued Hot Chocolate
by Philip Ofe
When Theo walks out of his corporate job in search of something “real,” he ends up unemployed, depressed, and reluctantly signing on for Universal Credit. There, he meets Nasreen — a newly promoted work coach who gives too much of herself to everyone but her own life. What begins as ten-minute appointments soon turns into something more complicated, fuelled by hot chocolate and half-truths.
The Writers
Carina Chatlani
Carina Chatlani is a writer and director. Her artistic practice is focused on highlighting untold South Asian stories. She wrote and directed ‘Saree Stories’ at the Wandsworth Arts Fringe, an epic tale of the legacy Sarees have beyond borders. ‘Saree Stories’ emerged from Carina’s participation in the Kiln Theatre’s Listen Local Young Writers programme, where she constructed her first short play under the guidance of Tom Wright and Yuxuan Liu. Carina is also passionate about education and creativity in young people, and has facilitated drama workshops and after school clubs in London and Hong Kong for over six years.
Martha Haidari
Martha is a writer from London. She studied ‘Drama: Comedy and Satire’ (yes, that was a real course) at Goldsmiths University. Martha was part of Kiln Theatre’s Listen Local Young Writers programme where she wrote her short play Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda. This play was performed at Kiln Theatre as a public rehearsed reading. Commissioned by the Kiln, Martha began to write her full-length debut play, Finding Senait, while teaching English in Seoul for two years. Her other creative pursuits include illustration and screenwriting. Martha enjoys writing drama comedy plays inspired and driven by real people who live boldly.
Áine McNamara
Áine McNamara is a playwright and actor from Brent. As a writer, her work has been performed at the Kiln Theatre, the Lyric Hammersmith, and fringe venues across London. As an actor, she most recently performed in an extended sell-out run of The Switchboard Project at The Hope Theatre, where she was brought onto the project as a writer-performer. Other recent credits include: Riley in The Trojan Women (Lyric Hammersmith), and Infanta in Mary & George (Sky/AMC).
Philip Ofe
Philip Ofe is an interdisciplinary writer, actor, photographer. He has been a part of the Kiln’s Listen Local Young Writers in 2024, resulting in the short piece, The Spot. He has self produced his own fringe shows such as Wish You Were Here (2023) and buttonmash (2024) – also the title of his self published poetry work (2019-2024). In 2021, he was part of the theatre company halucid_ and was commissioned by Screen South and the BBC to create an interactive film titled Philip 21.