Writer and Director: Jonny Khan
Camden People’s Theatre takes site-specific work to a new level with the play Camdenwalla, telling the story of one busy Saturday night at the Camden Monitoring Project, which used to be based in the very same building. Set in 1994, Jonny Khan’s debut work is a local piece featuring plenty of recognisable locations for Camden residents, but notes not only the impact of the project today but also the ongoing clash between different experiences of London life as second- and third-generation immigrant families experience violent resistance to their presence. Yet Camdenwalla uses its endearing characterisation to present inter-generational connection, solidarity and the real meaning of community.
Manning the phones alone at the Camden Monitoring Project, Muhammad fields calls from distressed neighbours, friends and other residents being threatened, attacked or feeling intimidated on the streets of Camden after dark, arranging for their one-man van to collect them and take them safely home. When his 16-year-old niece Alima arrives with some food, she is persuaded to stay, but who is most afraid and what can they do about it?
There are some really interesting strands in Khan’s play about the age-old division between peaceable protest and direct action as a means to encourage revolutionary change and acceptance, although, in this case, Muhammad’s form of gentle resistance is to watch, listen and document a decade of incidents on which the police refuse to act. Alima represents a more confrontational approach with an unseen boyfriend connecting her to an activist group, which directly challenges the racism this Pakistani community experiences through violence.
Although Khan sees merit in both approaches, there is too little time in this 60-minute play to really explore the consequences of these quite different philosophies and the extent to which Muhammad’s wish for quiet safety stems from age and experience, while Alima is driven by instinct and perhaps even the sense of a different culture among British-born Pakistani young adults than the generations that came before.
Camdenwalla uses its conclusion to explore both options but proves inconclusive, and there is much more it could say about the role of British State forces like the police, the need for informal community groups and the hinted-at broader context of local and national aggression with government instability and football riots making headline news. That dynamic and normalising of public violence affects what is happening inside and around this room.
The characterisation, though, is a joy; Bhasker Patel’s Muhammad in particular feels well-rounded and a deeply interesting, ordinary but extraordinary man. His role as a voice of safety and the promise of help is well managed, while his fun and light-hearted relationship with Alima is full of lovely moments as they find themselves miles apart and close together simultaneously. Nusrath Tapadar’s Alima may be a typical teen, but her sensibility about the situation her friends find themselves in and the way she starts to care about the strangers who call is nicely presented.
The pace is slow in places, with characters spending a long time on pause, which slows the energy, but Maariyah Sharjil’s office set is excellent, as is the opportunity to reflect on the activity happening on Hampstead Road just outside. Sitting alongside plays like Cruise and The Switchboard Project, the local history of these London-based support lines proves an interesting place for drama, and none more so than in the original home of the Camden Monitoring Project.
Runs until 4 July 2026
