Hannah Ali Khan MA Drama Writing Student

Hannah Ali Khan

MA Drama Writing Student


Biography

Hannah Ali Khan is a script writer whose work draws from real life experiences and addresses the world around us. She wrote her first full-length play In My Country during her Theatre and Performance Studies course at the University of Warwick, from which she graduated in 2021.  Inspired by a night out with some friends which ended with a man screaming ‘Rule Britannia’ at them in a kebab shop, it explored friendship and race from a South Asian female perspective.  In 2022 she was one of the writers chosen for the North Wall’s ArtsLab Catalyst residency where she continued developing this play with actors and a director.  She has been involved in development for Brutish Museums at the NT Studio in 2022 and has written additional content for Swamp Motel’s Plymouth Point in 2020.

During her time at BOVTS Hannah has continued to write scripts that explore identity and reflect lived experiences.  This includes the audio play Chances about her own experience of being diagnosed with thyroid cancer and the value of strong support systems.  THE FUTURE IS BEIGE is a play set in a dystopian future Britain that explores the danger of relying on a mixed race generation to solve racism, and she has also started developing a play inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream with a South Asian focus, following a young woman who dreams up romantic fantasies to avoid her fear of getting her heart broken.

Hannah is looking forward to continuing her work across stage, screen and audio on projects that reflect the people around her.  From big worlds to intimate stories, she is keen to keep writing scripts that speak to real-life experiences.

I absolutely love working backstage. It was something I had never done before arriving at BOVTS and I'm so grateful for the opportunity. Madi Barncoat, BA Costume Student