Event Information
About this event
Common Wealth and Fuel present
Peaceophobia
Co-created by Common Wealth, Speakers’ Corner and Bradford Modified Club. Written by Zia Ahmed.
Running Time: 60 minutes, no interval
Venue: Oastler Market Car Park, Bradford
BSL: The performance on Tuesday 14th September will be interpreted in British Sign Language.
Box Office: If you have any queries, please contact boxoffice@commonwealththeatre.co.uk, operating hours 10am–5pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.
If ‘Islam’ comes from ‘peace’, how can you fear peace?
Peaceophobia is an unapologetic response to rising Islamophobia around the world. Part car-meet part-theatre, the show explores how you find peace in a world that tells you who you are.
Growing up in the shadow of the Bradford Riots, 9/11 and police harassment, cars and faith are a sanctuary, an escape, an expression for three Muslim Pakistani men. Ali, Sohail and Casper are taking control of the narratives around their religion, their city, and their cars.
Staged in a carpark with a Supra, a Golf and a classic Nova, Peaceophobia brings together cars and theatre with cinematic lighting and an original electronic sound score.
Conceived in Bradford and co-directed by young women from Speakers’ Corner Collective and award-winning theatre company Common Wealth, co-written by acclaimed playwright Zia Ahmed and Bradford Modified Club, in co-production with Fuel.
Cast & Creative Team
Performed by Mohammad Ali Yunis, Casper Ahmed, and Sohail Hussain
Written by Zia Ahmed with Mohammad Ali Yunis, Casper Ahmed, and Sohail Hussain
Directed by Evie Manning, Iram Rehman, Sajidah Shabir, Rosema Nawaz, Mariyah Kayat, Madeyah Khan, and Maleehah Hussain
Designer – Rosie Elnile
Sound Designer & Composer – Wojtek Rusin
Additional technical support from Erik Perera and Ross Flight. Photography by Karol Wyszynski.
Peaceophobia is supported by Bradford 2025, Blueprint: Without Walls R&D Investment Fund, Co-Creating Change, Arts Council England, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Pears Foundation and Fenton Arts.
Organiser Common Wealth & Fuel
Organiser of Peaceophobia
Common Wealth make site-specific theatre events that encompass electronic sound, new writing, visual design and verbatim. Our work is political and contemporary – based in the present day – the here and now. We make work that is relevant and addresses concerns of our times.
Fuel leads the field in independent producing in the UK’s live performance sector. Fuel works with brilliant artists to explore urgent questions, to shine light on how we relate to each other and the world around us, and to tell untold stories by under-represented voices.