Hywelian Emily Howell (Class of 2011) is taking her play, Looking for Mummy: Nazanin's Story, on the road for a national tour. The play, which was long listed for the Amnesty 2017 Freedom of Expression Award, and given 4 stars from the Independent, uncovers the true and still unfolding story of Nazanin Zagahri-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian charity worker detained in Iran.
With the support of Nazanin's husband Richard Ratcliffe, Emily wrote Looking for Mummy: Nazanin's Story, which tells the true story of what happened and is continuing to happen to Nazanin and her family since the day she was detained. Currently held prison in Tehran by the Revolutionary Guard, Nazanin is accused of being a British spy, and has been sentenced to five years imprisonment.
The play is constantly being updated as Nazanin's story unfolds so audience members never see the same show twice. The production premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2017 in August, received 4 stars from The Independent, and was called a must-see show. While still Edinburgh, Emily learnt that the show had been longlisted for the Amnesty Freedom of Expression Award 2017.
Emily and her cast have performed the play at the Amnesty UK headquarters, and at the Thomas Reuters Foundation in London. Keen to get the work seen by as many people as possible, Emily has just successfully crowd-funded over £5000, which will allow her to tour the production through the UK during 2018, to raise awareness of Nazanin's plight and share her story, as well as the stories of those imprisoned with her.
The production will be in Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th February 2018. Click here for more information, the complete list of tour dates and to book tickets.