afshan d’souza-lodhi was born in Dubai and forged in Manchester. She is a writer of scripts and poetry. Her work has been performed and translated into numerous languages across the world. afshan was a LabFellow for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University and took her one-woman show ‘How To Eat Mangoes’ to Washington DC in 2022. She is currently working on developing the show as a feature film with Early Development Funding from BFI.
afshan has been writer-in-residence for Sky Studios, New Writing North, Royal Exchange Theatre, Warner Bros discovery and is this year’s writer-in-residence for Bluebird Pictures. afshan was one of the first to receive The National Theatre’s Peter Shaffer award in 2022.
afshan was selected as a mentee for the BAFTA BFI Flare programme, and has developed a TV series with Sky Studios. She is developing multiple TV projects one of which was recently selected for the Sky Table Reads Programme. A TV pilot she wrote called Chop Chop, based on her stage play with the same name, was selected as part of the second annual #MuslimList, a curated list of the most promising unmade scripts from Muslim writers in Hollywood that reside on The Black List.
She has just finished filming her short film which has been funded by the BFI, directed by Gitika Bhutto and produced by Polari Creatives.
As well as her own writing, afshan is keen to develop other younger and emerging artists and sits on the boards of Manchester Literature Festival, Pie Radio and Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester. She is also the WGGB Regional chair of Manchester and Lancashire.
Reading and Development roles:
Script reader, New Writing North, Northern Writers Awards – ROLLEM & BONFIDE, 2022
Programme Manager (Literature; Theatre & Dance), British Council– 2018 – 2021
Editor In Chief, The Common Sense Network – 2017 –2021
Script Reader, Tamasha Theatre Company – 2017-2020
Slate Enabler, Eclipse Theatre Company –2017- 2018
New Writing Coordinator, Commonword – 2013-2017
Deputy Director of Publishing, Dog Horn Publishing – 2011-2017
Writing Residencies, Schemes and Projects:
Independent Film Trust’s Creative Corridor programme – October 2022 – Current
BAFTA BFI FLARE mentee – March 2022 – Current
WarnerMedia Writers Exchange at Royal Exchange Theatre – March 2022 – Current
Oldham Coliseum Artist in Residence – March 2022 – January 2023
Melbourne UNESCO City of Literature Writer-in-residence – November 2021 – February 2022
SkyWrites resident writer – (New Writing North & SkyStudios) – Jan 2021 – December 2021
Georgetown Lab fellow in Global Performance and Politics – Feb 2020 – current
Manchester Town Hall Tales – July 2019 – November 2019
BBC WritersRoom North – October 2017 – November 2018
Tamasha Playwrights Scheme October 2016 – March 2018
Eclipse Theatre – Writer in Residence at Royal Exchange Theatre December 2015 – 2016
Re:Play Writer and Performer Jan 2015 – June 2017
Young Enigma Co-founder – 2012 – present
Produced Stage and Radio plays:
How to Eat Mangoes March/April 2021- June 2022 VARIOUS Unites States
Run(a)way, The Young Vic – February 2021
Santi & Naz, The Thelmas, Vault Festival – January 2020
Chop Chop (radio play) – October 2019
Assembly Women – Theatre In The Mill – March 2018
Meatz R Uz, Tamasha (RichMix) – September 2017
Part It Part Not, Royal Exchange Theatre – September 2017
The Promised Land, Bolton Octagon; Camden People’s Theatre & SouthBank –2015 – 2016
Round The Fire, West Yorkshire Playhouse – June 2016
The Lesborrist Tapes: February 2013 – August 2015
Teacups, Royal Exchange Theatre – April 2016
Publications:
Tell Me Who We Were Before Life Made Us, 3 Cups Press 2021 (contributor)
Not Quite Right For Us, Flipped Eye 2021 (contributor)
re: desire; Burning Eye Books 2020 (author)
Match Made In Heaven; Hope Road Publishing 2020 (contributor)
Its Not About The Burqa; Picador 2019 (Contributor)
sounds that exceed 80 decibels; Commonword 2017 (editor and contributor)
Elevator Fiction; Commonword 2016 (editor and contributor)
Spoke: New Queer Voices; Dog Horn Publishing 2015 (Contributor)
My Dear Watson: The Very Elements in Poetry; Beautiful Dragon Press 2015 (Contributor)
Awards:
Jhalak Prize (for re: desire) – longlisted 2021
Asian Media Award (for Santi & Naz) – Shortlisted 2021
Vault Festival Origins Award (for Santi & Naz) – won 2020
Foyles Book of the Year (for Its Not About The Burqa) – Shortlisted 2019
Adopt a Playwright Award – Shortlisted 2018
Old Vic 12, writer – Shortlisted 2016
The Big Issue in the North – Outsider’s Award November 2011
Community History Award – Zion Arts Centre Celebrations 2010
Community Cohesion Award – V Inspired November 2009
The Search Party – Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester March 2009
My Voice – Reading Agency November 2009
Photo Credit: Youcef Hadjazi