Nalini Theatre Company is an emerging theatre company committed to telling authentic South-Asian stories.

Founded in 2023 by Alicia Fernandes, Nalini was created to give emerging South Asian creatives a platform to create, and showcase their work. Within an extremely competitive industry, and coming from a working class background, we felt that without financial support, we were limited to our resources to gain opportunities that allow us to progress to our next substantial steps within our creative careers.

After a successful debut of our latest collaboration with Fathima Abdullah's production, 'Growing Pains' , we are over the moon to share that we have been granted a small commission from Newham Micro-Commission to develop Growing Pains further and deliver a workshop based on themes in the play to young people in Newham. This is a massive achievement for us as an emerging company to make a real impact in our community, expand our work and have a positive impact on the younger generation.

About the play

Growing Pains follows 17-year-old Khadija as she navigates the hilarious and often awkward transition to university. Caught between her East London roots and a new, predominantly white campus, she discovers unexpected freedoms and friendships while grappling with cultural expectations, faith, and the fear of letting her loved ones down.

This heartfelt and relatable comedy explores what it means to grow up caught between two worlds. It shines a light on experiences that are rarely given space on stage, while speaking to universal themes of identity, belonging, and self-discovery.

About the writer

Fathima Abdullah is a British Bangladeshi Muslim writer based in East London. Having worked in the film and TV industry for the past few years, Growing Pains is her debut play and focuses on the untold experience of leaving your family home for the first time whilst

navigating the unspoken expectations of her South Asian Muslim community. Her writing explores the experiences of third generation South Asian Muslims navigating life in a diaspora delving into themes of immigration, religion and community. Fathima was part of the 2024/2025 Soho Theatre Writer’s Lab cohort where this play was developed.

Why is this project important?

By developing Growing Pains further and sharing it with young people in Newham through workshops and performance, we’re creating space for authentic South Asian stories to be told, while inspiring the next generation to see themselves represented in theatre.

But we need your help!

We’re so grateful that most of our costs are now covered. But the funding doesn’t stretch far enough to cover one additional day of rehearsal fees for our team (the actors, the director, and the producer). Without this support, we simply don’t have the budget to pay our actors fairly for that extra day of work.

How your support will help

With your contribution, we can:

As a thank you…

If you’re a creative, we’d love to give back by promoting your work on our social media page and giving you a personal shout-out (if you wish).

Together, we can make this happen.

Every donation, no matter the size, helps us close this final gap and ensures that our team is valued for their work. Your support will directly empower emerging South Asian artists, allow us to continue

developing 'Growing Pains', and bring meaningful theatre to our community. Thank you for believing in our work and helping us take this next step. Supporting Growing Pains means supporting an emerging voices in British theatre, helping to open the door for more diverse stories and perspectives to reach the stage.