Exploring identity and joy: Stefanie Reynolds’ Danesha premieres at The Lowry

Stefanie Reynolds, a mixed-race, working-class, neurodivergent queer playwright from Manchester, draws on her own experiences of isolation and identity in her uplifting new play Danesha, set to open at the Lowry studio next week

Stefanie Reynolds is a mixed-race, working-class, neurodivergent queer playwright living and from Manchester.

We caught up with her to find out more about her latest play Danesha, which was first penned in the pandemic and opens at the Lowry studio space next week.

What inspired you to write Danesha?

I wrote Danesha in 2021. A year after being cooped up inside after COVID. I wanted joy, I wanted music, I wanted to DANCE!

I wanted to bring something to the stage that people could not only enjoy but move with. I also wanted to spotlight the “mixed race experience” through the lens of someone like Danesha.

Isolated and in a town where she doesn’t quite fit in, but unsure of why that is, and unsure of what it is that she’s missing.

Just this feeling of…. Difference.

Everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, is curious about their ancestry and where they come from – but it’s even more prominent when you don’t look like your family. The question is deafening. Who am I?

How important is a theatre company like Box of Tricks to you?

Box of Tricks has been integral to my writing career.

I moved back to Manchester in 2019 after a stint in London and Glasgow.

I had been a part of Tamasha playwrights and Royal Court theatre – so I understood the theatre scene in London and how to navigate it, to a degree.

But I didn’t know how to navigate it in Manchester. Where is the theatre scene?? What’s going on?? Where are all the people at!?

I was so fortunate and grateful to get involved with Box of Tricks theatre – first with their Pen Pal scheme, then with Playbox ‘21 (where Danesha was written) it enabled me to be a part of a community, be a part of the theatre scene, and most importantly, it’s where I met most of my friends!!!!

What do you like about Manchester?

Manchester is my hometown. I’m a south Manchester gyal. I love our attitude, our diversity, our community, and our humour.

If someone reading this want to get their writing out there but they lack contacts, what advice would you give them?

Research organisations in your city/town that are putting work out that you like and want to be a part of.

If there is a theatre you go to all the time, write to them! Introduce yourself, and share any of your work with them.

Research your favourite artists and look at their career paths – what schemes and organisations were they a part of?

Put yourself out there! (which is something I’m still gaining confidence in) attend networking events.

Believe in yourself and big up yourself!

As a writer, what do you want audiences to take away from Danesha?

I would love audiences to understand the complexities of being mixed race, and the intersectionalities that exist within it… we can spend so much time interrogating our identity, especially if we’re not brought up with our culture or have a connection to it – and I think mixed race people can often be shamed for that – despite it being out of our control.

I would also love audiences to celebrate love in all the different ways it is presented in this play.

But most importantly, I hope the audience dances along with Danesha.

Box of Tricks present Danesha is at the Lowry from 2nd – 5th October and can be booked here

Last updated 22 hours ago.
This article was first published on 25 September 2024 and is subject to be updated from time to time. Please refresh or return to see the latest version.

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