Woman Business is a bold and intimate one-woman play about identity, belonging, and what it means to be a brown woman. A story of what we inherit, what we outgrow, and what we finally claim as our own.

The play follows Diya – a woman shaped by inherited rituals and the expectations placed upon her as she moves between cultures, roles and generations of memory.

Diya has spent her life carrying the traditions and expectations passed down through the women before her. Through childhood prayers, marriage, migration, grief and myth, she begins to unravel the many versions of herself – daughter, wife, widow, believer, rebel… goddess.

As the stories of her foremothers echo through her own life, Diya confronts the roles she has been taught to play. With humour, tenderness and raw honesty, it asks a simple but urgent question: what happens when a woman finally begins to speak in her own voice?

About the Artists

Shilpa Varma is a writer and actor whose storytelling spans theatre, animation, adaptation and audio fiction. Her short plays have been staged in India, Ireland and across London. Her work explores interfaith relationships, migration and the lived experience of brown womanhood. Alongside theatre, she has adapted major titles for Disney India, Netflix and Apple TV, and has written for Cartoon Network, Audible India and Spotify. Her writing blends humour, ritual, cultural specificity and emotional honesty.

Frances Bodiam is a director and actor with Putney Theatre Company and Footfalls Theatre Company in London. Her directing credits include: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Simon Stephens), How to Date a Feminist (Samantha Ellis), The Lovely Bones (Bryony Lavery/Alice Sebold) and Things I Know to be True (Andrew Bovell).

Press for this production:

The writing mixes poetry and prose – with strong imagery and repetition to heighten the emotions behind the words. Diya wants us to know she is more than a wife and mother – she’s a writer and her ideas are clearly bursting to get free…

She is an incredibly charming and engaging performer and easily draws us into her story.. The performance is supported with an excellent soundscape that’s never overwhelming but a constant and subtle accompaniment that transports us to the frenetic streets of Mumbai. A mix of traditional and modern music further emphasises the different cultures that we’re seeing. ‍ ‍

This is a beautifully written and thought-provoking piece of theatre. Shilpa Varma has told a story that absolutely highlights the experience of a “small brown woman”… she tells this story with authenticity, passion and conviction. It has plenty of humour as well as some genuinely heart-breaking moments, with an ending that is both emotional and uplifting. It’s a unique and powerful piece of theatre.‍‍‍‍ ★★★★ Theatre and Tonic

Varma is a compelling actor to watch... The set is masterly in its simplicity. A series of colourful satin fabric lengths are pegged on an upstage, surrounding washing line. These become saris and shawls for different occasions and a white one represents her husband’s deathbed.

Woman Business is a gently moving 60 minutes of well-acted theatre. And sometimes it’s laugh aloud funny. Susan Elkin

Under Frances Bodiam’s direction, the production is vibrant and playful. The stage is bedecked with colourful fabrics. Shelton Wong’s lighting design complements this with multicoloured light sequences that are reminiscent of a disco. Similarly, Nick Wells’s sound design is lively and vivid, bringing to life soundscapes that range from the bustling streets of Mumbai to the stifled silence of a hospital ward… it is a pleasure to spend seventy minutes with Diya, particularly because of the warmth and energy Varma brings to the role. London Pub Theatres

The thing about a well-written solo performance such as this one is that a story can be very specific and yet universal at the same time… Woman Business is a warm and engaging piece of theatre. Diya’s story is a reminder that every person we encounter contains multitudes. And that still waters run deep. I hope to see more both from Varma and from Footfalls Theatre in future. Salterton Arts Reviews

Photography by Anna Mclaren