Dhamaka Arts

Captain’s Log: Phase 3

This week felt like a significant shift in the journey of Khandan: The Shame Generation.

Following an intense Phase 2 with the formidable Amanda Huxtable at the helm, Amanda stepped away for a well-earned break, leaving the crew with a clear mission: take everything we had discovered together and bring it fully to life.

As we entered Phase 3, the focus shifted. Less writing. Less rewriting. More doing.

The week began with me and Olayemi Z Ade diving back into the script. Ollie has an incredible eye for story and structure, helping me continue to refine moments whilst also supporting me as a performer. They led warm-ups, helped me reconnect with the work, and eased some of the tension that had built up during the intensity of the previous phase.

And there was definitely tension.

For the past three years, I’ve spent so much time developing, shaping and questioning this show. Writing it. Rewriting it. Applying for funding. Dreaming about it. Worrying about it. Talking about it.

Phase 3 was the point where I had to stop being the writer and start fully becoming the performer.

That sounds simple.

It wasn’t.

I had to trust the people around me. Trust Jenn. Trust Ollie. Trust Luke. Trust the process. Most importantly, I had to trust that the work we’d already done was enough and focus on learning the show.

At the start of the week, if I’m honest, I wasn’t sure I’d get there.

There were moments where the scale of the task felt overwhelming. Moments where my ADHD brain wanted to jump ahead to opening night, skip several chapters and panic about everything all at once.

To make things even more interesting, our producer Louis was away on a well-deserved shore leave in France. Thankfully, the wonders of 21st-century communications meant Starfleet Command remained operational. While the bridge occasionally felt a little understaffed, Louis continued supporting the mission remotely, proving that a good producer can still keep a starship running from another quadrant of the galaxy.

Slowly, line by line, scene by scene, something began to click into place.

The story settled into my body.

The timelines became clearer.

The emotional journey became stronger.

The confidence started to grow.

By the end of the week, we had reached a huge milestone.

The lines were there.

The props were there.

The costumes were there.

The set was there.

The show was there.

For the first time, it genuinely feels like we’re no longer building Khandan. We’re preparing to share it.

That doesn’t mean the week was easy.

Even after taking some time out for rest and self-care, returning to rehearsals felt emotionally intense. This is a deeply personal show. It explores family, belonging, chosen family and breaking cycles of shame. Carrying those stories every day can be a lot.

But one piece of Amanda’s advice stayed with me throughout the week:

Trust the team.

And she’s right.

This show exists because of collective care.

Every member of the team is holding a different piece of the puzzle. They’re creating the space for me to focus on what I need to do: stand on stage and tell the story.

Now we enter Phase 4.

Production week.

Amanda returns to the rehearsal room, and I honestly can’t wait to show her everything we’ve been working on while she’s been away. I’m excited for her to see how the show has grown, how the work has developed, and how we’ve taken all the discoveries from Phase 2 and embedded them into the performance.

Most of all, I’m excited to be directed by her again. Amanda has such a powerful way of seeing the work and asking the right questions, and I can’t wait to continue rehearsing with her as we move through technical rehearsals, dress runs and those final crucial days before we welcome audiences aboard.

There is still work to do.

There are still discoveries to make.

There are still a few warp-core malfunctions to fix.

But after three years of development, countless drafts, endless cups of tea and more temporal anomalies than any starship should reasonably encounter, the destination is finally in sight.

The countdown has begun.

See you on the bridge.

Book Your Tickets

Khandan: The Shame Generation

📍 Bradford Arts Centre
📅 11th – 13th June 2026
🎟️ Tickets from just £1

Supported using public funding from Arts Council England.

The crew is ready.

The ship is almost launched.

Now all we need is you