Dan Sareen discusses his new play

Dan Sareen is busy in rehearsals for his play Passing which is on at the Park Theatre from 1 – 25 November 2023. He took time out to answer our questions about writing and producing the play, casting another Freemen’s alumnus and what he misses about Freemen’s.   

Tell us about Passing. What is the play about? 

Passing centres on a mixed race - Indian and White - family who are celebrating the festival of Diwali for the first time. The daughter of the family, Rachel, is worried about losing her connection to her Indian heritage for good, as her father has never himself been interested in passing it down, and her Grandfather's health is suddenly failing. It's a one room comedy-drama which explores the relatable conflicts at a family gathering, whilst exploring themes of mixed race identity and heritage. 

Where did the inspiration come from? 

The play developed from feelings I was exploring for myself a few years ago, as I was trying to learn more about my own heritage. I've always been interested in writing a naturalistic family comedy piece, and the play takes inspiration from works I love such as Alan Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests, Tracy Letts' August, Osage County, and in particular Natasha Gordon's Nine Night. I love the inherent conflict in a family dynamic, and how things can build though at the end of it all you know that everyone loves each other. So, combining those things, I wanted to see how the urgency of the Grandad's precarious health would rush the protagonist into saying and doing things, like organising a Diwali celebration, before it's too late. I also felt at the time of writing that this was a unique story I hadn't seen on stage before, and that there's very little theatre that focuses on the mixed-race experience in the modern day, which spurred me on. 

What has the process been like going from writing a play to having it produced and performed? 

It's been a very long process, but ultimately that's meant I had the time to really develop the script to a point that I'm really happy with it. I first started writing in 2020, and it took me about 7 or 8 months to complete a first draft (which was nearly 150 pages long!). I was really lucky to be awarded some Arts Council funding in 2021 which was used on a week of research & development, and since then the focus has been on more re-drafting and securing funding and a space to put the play on. It’s been very full on the last few months, it’s suddenly gone so quickly after years of slow but steady improvement. 

You are producing the play. What are the challenges producing and writing? 

A lot of producing I find is about not letting the budget run away, and when I was conducting my most recent edit of the script it was difficult not to let myself take out things I had written in which I knew were going to be difficult or expensive to achieve. In some ways that’s an advantage too, as it gives you objectivity on what’s superfluous to the play, but I had made my life as a producer difficult by writing a play which I never thought would be put on! 

Jack Flammiger who is in the play is also an alumnus of Freemen's. How is it working together now? 

Jack and I have been friends since he joined the school in Upper 4, we sometimes reminisce about meeting at the auditions for Sweeney Todd - the school musical in 2009. Even though he left again for Sixth Form, we’ve always been close. Jack is the first person who read the first draft of the script back in early 2021, and he’s been with the play since, a sounding board for me whenever I’ve wanted to reason something out or try something new. He’s also a brilliant actor, so it was a no brainer asking him to join the cast. Because we’ve been friends so long and we both love theatre so much it’s always been really easy to work together, we have a great shorthand and way of communicating. 

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to write a play and/or getting into the industry? 

The best advice I’ve ever had for writing a play is to keep going once you’ve started and just get to the end of a draft - even if you decide halfway through you’re going to do something drastic with what you’ve already written, like cutting a character or a scene. Once you have a draft completed, it’s much easier to go back and edit, rather than trying to perfect a few early scenes and never progressing. It can be really difficult to have your work produced when you’re starting out, but there are competitions to enter, and funding to apply for to produce your own work. The best thing you can do is get your script in front of an audience, even if it’s just an informal rehearsed reading with actors who are doing you a favour. If you can start gathering feedback and working on the next draft, you’re going to be in a better place to get the attention of industry going forward. 

What do you remember most about the school? 

My best memories are of being able to be involved in theatre and performance at Freemen’s. The musicals and plays I performed in; I have particularly strong and fond memories of doing a tango in Evita, assistant directing Phantom of the Opera, acting in The Chrysalids and my first experience of performing at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, For the Love of Willie. But also the Junior school talent shows, Rag ‘n’ Roll concerts, and the more performative inter-house competitions, like House Music. One of my fondest memories is of winning the prize for best comedy duologue in House Drama for a piece which I acted in with Jack when we were in Upper 5. 

Do you miss anything about Freemen's? 

I miss a lot of things, often I’m struck out of the blue by really random things I miss like early morning swim squad sessions before the start of the school day, or debating society and Bachelor’s society meetings, even the UKMT maths challenge on occasion. I miss some of the teachers who I got on really well with, and some of my school year who I’ve lost touch with. Next year will mark 10 years since I left Freemen’s at the end of Upper 6 so I’m quietly hoping someone’s organising a reunion.