'Britain’s Got Talent' finalist joins festival celebrating South Asian culture

A festival featuring award-winning magic, comedy, dance and free family activities is set to take place next week to celebrate the start of South Asian Heritage Month.

Five events will be held as part of the Sensasian festival, which will be held at the New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme in partnership with arts organisation Appetite. The series has been put together in collaboration with South Asian communities in Newcastle, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire as a follow-up to the theatre’s 2023 Punjab to the Potteries project.

The events kick off on Tuesday, July 9, with a stand-up comedy night from Desi Central, featuring laugh-out-loud comedians including Sukh Ojla, as seen on BBC2’s Big Asian Stand Up, Nabil Abdulrashid, Tommy Sandhu and Raj Poojara.

Dance and live music take centre stage on Wednesday, July 10, when Sonia Sabri Company will perform the soul-stirring and energetic Roshni. Roshni – from the Persian word meaning light or brilliance – is a mix of kathak dance and live music driven by the bold rhythms of Tabla percussion, influenced by the traditions of Northern India but reimagined through a global lens.

Award-winning magician and former Britain’s Got Talent finalist Ben Hart will present Jadoo on Friday, July 12. Drawn from his own heritage and experience of travelling India to discover lost magic, this mind-popping show rich with wicked humour sees Ben shed his usual sleight-of-hand trickery in favour of stunning displays of mysticism and extra-sensory power.

Rounding off the celebrations, Appetite and the New Vic invite families to the theatre on Saturday, July 13, from 1 pm for an afternoon of free, fun activities for all the family including performances of Choogh Choogh, an interactive show inspired by the joys of travelling India by train; music from Amrit Kaur and dance workshops for all ages to get involved with.

Appetite director Gemma Thomas said: “Following on from the work we did for Punjab to the Potteries last year, we talked to our collaborators from the South Asian communities and asked what they’d like to happen next. Sensasian is the programme created out of those conversations and events have been specially selected by 26 community members. Sensasian is a celebration for the artists and the community who helped shape it, and everyone is invited.”

Sensasian will take place at the New Vic from Tuesday, July 9, to Saturday, July 13. Tickets cost £15 with concessions available. South Asian Heritage Month officially begins on Thursday, July 18, and runs until Saturday, August 17.

For more information and to book tickets, visit newvictheatre.org.uk or call the box office on 01782 717962.