We sat down for an exclusive interview with Azan Ahmed to discuss the Olivier-Award-nominated ‘Blue Mist’.
This show is on tour 17th June – 30th July- Tickets here
Chunkyz Shisha Lounge is the heart of the play, a space where these characters can just exist. What does it feel like to inhabit that kind of sanctuary on stage?
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It’s incredibly liberating to live & breathe in Chunkyz, a space where these men feel safe to shed their public armour. Our show stretches how that liberation manifests in such exciting ways. The jokes are lightning fast & sharp because of their long-standing friendship, which also means that moments of vulnerability are raw – this place and these people is where we feel most seen, most held. With that in mind, we’ve been pushing the boundaries of how brown male bodies are expected to move with really inventive movement. All of this makes Chunkyz a challenging gift of a setting, or in Rash’s words: a vibe. A real feast for an actor & audiences.
2. The play explores the exhausting pressure of being “politicised” as a young Muslim man. Did that resonate personally, and did it change how you approached the role?
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The play echoes many of my own lived experiences, it’s why I was determined to be in it. To be a Muslim man in Britain today means to be surveilled and tested. However, one of the greatest strengths of Zain’s writing is that Blue Mist isn’t concerned with just naming that exhaustion. Instead, our story focuses on how Rashid, Asif & Jihad resist exhaustion with laughter, resilience and community. That’s what really resonated. One of the best things about being an actor is that characters come along and teach you about yourself while you’re trying to decipher them. Rashid is a compassionate, emotionally intelligent soul who’s done a lot of work on himself. He’s teaching me to be more forgiving and has also reignited my love of boxing.
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3. Blue Mist interrogates how the media distorts Muslim identity. How do you hope audiences, particularly those outside that experience, receive that message?
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It feels wild to be typing this – but I hope people are reminded that Muslims are humans. Headlines and hate speech have made others forget that. Zain, Milli and the team have crafted a story that bestows Muslim men with the grace, dignity and relatability they have been stripped of. I hope audiences recognise that we have more in common than not; we’re all trying to make the best out of the hands we’ve been dealt.
–4. The production balances comedy with complex ideas. How did you find that tonal line in rehearsal
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Honestly, it’s been a constant struggle to keep a straight face during rehearsals – this play makes me howl no matter how many times I’ve read it! Comedy is a form of resistance. It’s how these boys have coped with hardships. Milli has been expertly guiding us on how to maintain the fizzy, infectious joy whilst driving through the important social messaging layered between the words. Milli’s visual style is so inspiring; we lean into the surreal because it’s more exciting (and I’d argue more accurate) to depict manipulation & micro-aggressions through nightmare-esque visions than literal description.
5. This started at the Royal Court, earned an Olivier nomination, and is now on a national tour. What does it mean to bring this story to audiences across the UK right now?
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It warms my heart to know that we are bringing this show TO communities across the UK rather than expecting them to come to us in London. In order for theatre to feel like it’s for everyone, it should reach everyone. I can’t wait to see how Pakistanis in each city react to seeing themselves on stage. Sharing is a huge part of South Asian culture, so it only feels right we get to share this play with the whole of the nation. Best believe we’ll be trying out the best shisha lounges & food joints each city has to offer!
6. Jihad is trying to give an authentic voice to his community through documentary. Do you feel theatre can do the same thing?
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Absolutely! Theatre is at its best when authentic voices are championed. We’re all glued to our phones, but the magic of live theatre forces you to watch & listen to how different people navigate the world. You feel part of something. But the theatre world needs to do a better job at nurturing global majority artists. How boring would it be if all we heard were the same voices talking about similar things? I love Kilburn High Road because of its variety of restaurants, each offering a different flavour. Theatre should feel the same.