Show on finding peace in the world

As Rosema Nawaz, co-creator and co-director of Peaceophobia, says, everyone has got their tipping point.

She and her colleagues had theirs. Peaceophobia – one of the final events in this year’s Brighton Festival, running from May 26 to 29 at 7.45pm at Brighton Marina car park, is the result.

The team offer it as an unapologetic response to rising Islamophobia around the world. Part-car meet, part-theatre, the show explores how you find peace in a world that tells you who you are.

In the piece, growing up in the shadow of the Bradford Riots ,9/11 and police harassment, cars and faith are a sanctuary, an escape, an expression for three Muslim Paki-stani men. Ali, So hail and Casper are taking control of the narratives around their religion, their city and their cars.

Staged in a car park with a Supra, a Golf and a classic Nova, Peaceophobia brings together cars and theatre with cinematic lighting and an original electronic sound score.

Peaceophobia began as a one-day discussion event in Bradford; the response was such that all concerned wanted to take it forward; the theatre piece is the result.

Rosema said: “My experience from school was just going through day-to-day Islamophobia from other students and then every time you try to talk to a teacher, they would just tell you that it wasn't important, that there was nothing they could do and that it was just people expressing their opinions.

"I got so used to it but I was quite sad to think about what was happening.”