AISHA by AJ
(3 Dec 2018 – 5 Jan 2019)

“ARMS PINNED DOWN AT EACH CORNER OF THIS CRUX – A HANDMAID CRUCIFIED BY THE HANDS OF LUST.” – AISHA

A harrowing one-character play about the grave effects of Child Marriage in the UK.

The play follows Aisha an underage girl that was forced by her parents to marry a 51-Year-Old Man when she was at the age of 14. Aisha was sold in exchange for a birde-price – an act that was justified by certain cultural and religious traditions.

The man that she was forced to marry and live with is sadistic and abusive.

She is forbidden to leave the house, communicate with the outside world, shower or even bathe herself on a regular basis. Aisha is bound to domestic duty and forced to submit to any sexual acther husband wishes to bestow upon her. How will Aisha continue to cope?

Every year 15 million girls are married as children… 28 girls every minute, 1 every 2 seconds’.

New young writer/director AJ presents his one woman play, AISHA, which through rhythmic verse, heavily influenced by contemporary spoken word, discusses the practice and repercussions of child marriage; a practice still perpetrated in the UK, with the Home Office estimating that between 5,000 and 8,000 young people a year are at risk. AISHA is performed by Alex Jarrett, who can be seen in the BBC’s Les Misérables mini-series, alongside David Oyelowo, and Dominic West, in January 2019. She is also the former Young Mayor of Newham.

25-year-old writer, director and producer AJ, was raised in South East London, Woolwich. He says: “I strive to create unconventional and thought-provoking work that audience members can deeply engage with. Theatre should be and can be used as a medium to transform society. Aisha is a clear representation of this; I chose to artistically portray the grave effect child marriage can have on a child, in hope that the conveying of this will bring to light a social-ill that is somehow dangerously overlooked.”

Production company AILIA is creating a new theatre for radical, free-spirited artists; and the open-minded spectator. A large percentage of the box office sales from AISHA will be donated to certain forced marriage, child marriage, and child sexual exploitation charitable organisations.