Indigo Giant February 2024

In February 2024, UEA Outreach hosted 63 students from East Norfolk Sixth Form, Wymondham High Academy, and Notre Dame High School, to take part in a theatre workshop and show of Indigo Giant in the UEA Drama Studio.

Written by UEA Scriptwriting lecturer Ben Musgrave and presented by Komola Collective, Indigo Giant traces the colonialist roots of the indigo trade and its legacies in the present. Throughout the day, the students took part in several activities and workshops that tackled colonialism and its implications in the present.

The event began with a lecture by Ben Musgrave on his research and writing process for Indigo Giant. The students learned how indigo became an important commodity in the British Raj. They also discovered how the indigo trade helped create oppression in Bengal during the 1800s.

After the lecture, they participated in theatre workshops facilitated by Indigo Giant director Gavin Joseph, Ben Musgrave, UEA Drama professor Mike Bernardin, and UEA MA Scriptwriting student Jose Socrates Delos Reyes. These workshops allowed the students to explore how the effects of colonialism are manifested in their own experiences and contexts.

The event culminated with the students watching Indigo Giant. After the show, they posted their reactions and responses on a communal Freedom Wall.

The Indigo Giant event was received well by both students and teachers. According to David from East Norfolk Sixth Form, ‘I and the students had such a good day. Really informative and a great production to watch too.’ This sentiment was echoed by another teacher: ‘I found the time shifts between modern day and 19th century India in Indigo Giant very effective. It highlighted that while colonialism and enslavement has diminished across the globe, minority groups are still being subjugated and defined by their labour.’

UEA Outreach understands the power of forming partnerships and collaborating to deliver engaging and inspirational educational activities that can help raise the aspirations of young people. Theatre has a very special power to connect people, subjects, and viewpoints and this was an excellent example of how it can provide participants with the opportunity to explore important issues and themes through the lenses of a variety of subject areas, including, politics, history, geography, and fashion design. Through collaborations such as this, we're able to connect our participants with people from various industries and backgrounds to give them an enriching and powerful experience.

More information about the show: https://www.theindigogiant.com/