Brown Girl in the Ring: Words in Motion
Celebrating some of Britain's finest creative talent and inspirational Women
Anoushka Shankar, Guest Director of Brighton Festival 2025, proudly presents Brown Girl In The Ring, curated and produced by founder Sweety Kapoor.
The multidisciplinary platform has over the years garnered a reputation for innovative events celebrating some of our best pioneering creative talent and inspirational women for newer audiences—all set in a boxing ring! The specially curated programme Words In Motion will echo this year's festival theme New Dawn, showcasing an exceptional cohort of award-winning poets, actors, dancers, musicians and activists: Mona Arshi, Bishi, Nikita Gill, Areeba Hamid, Asha Puthli, Anita Rani, Meera Syal (CBE), Saloni Saraf, Preti Taneja, Indira Varma and a special performance by Anoushka Shankar.
Mona Arshi & Indira Varma: Mouth
A BGITR exclusive, the Forward Prize winning poet and novelist Mona Arshi's 3rd collection
Mouth makes a stage debut ahead of its July 2025 publication. Arshi gives voice to the silenced women of Greek tragedy as they navigate war and its aftermath, offering a new reflection on power, migration, and loss in current times. Olivier award-winning powerhouse TV, film and theatre actor Indira Varma returns to the boxing ring to bring Arshi's words to life on stage. Indira has been working with the IRC since 2016, supporting and spreading awareness of refugee stories within the UK and beyond.
BISHI: Yoko Ono’s ‘Voice Piece for Soprano’
Multi instrumentalist, musician, vocalist, composer and producer Bishi performs her sensational adaptation of Yoko Ono’s powerful Voice Piece for Soprano. Bishi's version, originally commissioned by Tate Modern and performed at Glastonbury 2024, will feature new BGITR produced-elements. The powerful and instructive work urges audiences to vocalise on cue and 'Scream; against the wind, against the wall, against the sky.' This participative act takes on an urgent symbolic meaning against the many challenges of our times. It calls for a New Dawn.
Nikita Gill: New Commissioned Work
International poetry sensation Nikita Gill is a playwright, writer and illustrator. Her words have captivated hearts and minds all over the world, with a vast on-line following. With six poetry collections, and a YA novel in verse under her belt, her debut adult sc-fi novel Hekate is set to release in 2025. The novella in verse Angel Of Redemption was commissioned by the BBC to mark 60 years of the cult TV show Doctor Who. Nikita is also an ambassador for National Poetry Day and the editor of the poetry anthology SLAM!
Areeba Hamid: Greenpeace UK
An incomparable force for change, Areeba Hamid is the joint executive director of Greenpeace UK, making her the first woman and first person of colour and migrant to lead the organisation. Areeba worked at senior levels in Greenpeace globally, campaigning on issues like marine conservation, coal expansion in India, rainforest destruction in Indonesia, and tar sands in Canada and North America and joins us to deliver light, hope and new ways of being.
Asha Puthli: Live Set
One of our true trailblazers, Space disco legend and jazz royalty Asha Puthli returns to the UK for a special guest appearance. From a studio 54 favourite to starring in Andy Wharol's films, the original trailblazing cultural warrior is a pioneer of jazz, funk, soul, disco and electronic dance music, whose five-decade career has enjoyed multiple resurgences whilst cementing a cult status. Known for her stirring vocals on jazz legend Ornette Coleman's seminal Science Fiction album, and her cult classics like Space Talk taking a life of their own. Asha continues to be influential, and a source of inspiration for a whole new generation of artists and fans alike - now 80, she wowed audiences with 5 star reviews with her incredible band on her 2024 UK tour.
Anita Rani
Award-winning Presenter and Sunday Times bestselling author Anita Rani, one of the nation's loved and most recognisable faces on British television returns to Brown Girl in the Ring especially for Brighton Festival. A host of Woman’s Hour, she is a lead presenter on Countryfile, a regular on Radio 2, and well-known for her work on Channel 4, Channel 5, the BBC and most recently with Netflix. Anita is also a Refugees Goodwill Ambassador for the UNHCR.
Meera Syal: Exclusive
The nation's much loved and celebrated comedian, actor and writer Meera Syal (CBE), was the recipient of BAFTA's highest accolade in 2023 and the WFIV Lifetime Achievement award, amongst many others. The trailblazing artist will debut parts of her highly-anticipated forthcoming memoir. Still in the works, it is scheduled for publication in the summer of 2025.
Saloni Saraf: Dance commission
Set to Speaking In Tongue this poignant dance piece also pays a tribute nod to music pioneer Sheila Chandra. Classically trained Kathak dancer Saloni Saraf delivers a powerful and memorising dance piece crossing the boundaries of Kathak and contemporary, where the silence of words echo loudly from chaos to hope.
Preti Taneja: New Commissioned Work
A Gordon Burn and Desmond Elliott Prize winner, Preti Teneja is regarded as one of the most fearless and finest writers of our times. She was awarded the Philip Leverhulme Prize for Languages and Literatures in recognition of her experimental creative practice, and is currently working on her third novel and a work of creative nonfiction.
Upcoming events with Guest Director Anoushka Shankar
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