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Routes to Roots: A South Asian Heritage Project Bringing together Heritage, Community and Arts partners, local participants and artist/facilitators, ROUTES TO ROOTS is working with South Asian communities in Bradford, Sheffield and Croydon.

We use a multi-arts approach to capture, archive and preserve authentic stories that reveal the diversity of UK South Asian Heritage and challenge assumptions and stereotypes surrounding these communities in the UK. The project involves a series of creative arts workshops led by local artists/practitioners through which participants explore their heritage.

Routes to Roots is inspired by Maya’s new musical in development, Benny and the Greycats, that tells the story of an Anglo-Indian family of railway workers who swap playing in a swing band in South India for a new life in 1960s Sheffield. We are moving into the final development phase for the musical.

We want to work with more South Asian communities to capture their stories and fund the development of Benny and The Greycats. To do that, we need funds to support our vision. Your donation, no matter how large or small, will ensure these vital stories are never lost.

We hope you agree with us when watching this video, that not only is Benny and The Greycats such an important story for South Asian communities, but working with them to discover and share their own stories is vital. Maya wants to continue to do this work and ensure these stories are not lost.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. We do hope you can donate today!

For 30 years Maya has been developing inclusive theatre and arts practices to support underserved communities.

MISSION We bring together individuals and organisations who passionately want their work to enable racial justice and social change by:

MAKING AND TOURING THEATRE LED BY SOUTH ASIAN, AFRICAN, LATIN AMERICAN DIASPORA AND GLOBAL MAJORITY ARTISTS:

- Telling authentic stories

- Building new audiences

- Championing diverse role models

ENGAGING YOUNG PEOPLE AND UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE UK IN CREATIVE PROCESSES:

- Unlocking participants’ creative potential and developing creative and transferable skills

- Demystifying theatre, arts and heritage processes

- Inspiring future artists and industry professionals

DEVELOPING INCLUSIVE WORKFORCE PRACTICES ACROSS THE ARTS:

- Exposing and dismantling barriers

- Supporting career pathways through coaching and mentoring

- Creating and delivering Race and Allyship training

- Supporting global majority creatives to work in the arts and mental health sector in South Yorkshire, addressing underrepresentation

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