‘We feel as if we’ve been seen, and our stories too count’ – Gupta in the Eastern Eye

The Empress 

In 2019 Tanika’s play The Empress was added to the Pearson Edexcel English Literature GCSE curriculum. 

This was done in conjunction with the Lit in Colour scheme, a campaign run by Penguin and the Runnymede Trust to support schools in the UK in making the teaching and learning of English literature more inclusive. You can find out more about Lit in Colour here 

“To me, this is part of a broader move to try and decolonise the curriculum. It’s about everybody learning about each other’s history through literature. Without that, nothing’s going to change. It all starts with education.” Tanika speaking about the Lit in Colour programme with Penguin

You can hear Tanika discussing the Empress, and its place on the curriculum here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RvXRL0k2Vo 

You can also hear Tanika speaking at the Lit in Colour 2022 Student Conference here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdN0cIn-RXU&t=3s 

Though The Empress is set in the last years of the nineteenth century, it reflects the cultural diversity of London – when people from all over the colonies lived, struggled, thrived and contributed to British society. In essence it is part of all our histories and futures together. Tanika in Broadway World

You can find study support materials for the Empress on the Pearon Edexcel website