Twenty years on, Vanessa and Aravindan look back at the day their families met for the first time and what began as an unexpected romance became strained by cultural difference. 

Their 21st century relationship is set against the life of 18th century botanist Carl Linneaus, whose early attempts to classify all living things had far-reaching and devastating consequences.

Altered Skin has developed a trademark blend of movement and sharply written text to create dynamic work that uses universal stories and life events as a framework to explore far deeper themes. 

Performance dates 2026

Saturday 28th February Derby Theatre

Tuesday 3rd March Proteus Creation Space, Basingstoke

Thursday 5th March Wolverhampton Arena

Thursday 12th March Touchstones at Rochdale Ukrainian Club

 

 

Written and created by Shane Shambhu in collaboration with:

Performer and Devisor – Shireenah Ingram
Co-Director – Angela Ekaette Michaels
Production Designer – Maariyah Sharjil
Video and Lighting Designer – Gillian Tan
Composer – Archita Kumar
Sound Designer – Gerry Smith
Additional characters – Filip Fransson, Geetha Sridhar, Karlina Grace-Paseda
Producer – SJ Watkinson
Production Manager – Elliot Mitchell
Production Assistant & ASM – Amelia Cameron
Photography – Graeme Braidwood
Videographer – James Connolly
Graphic Design – Dave Walsh
The Artist Wellbeing Company (Eshmit Kaur) – Wellbeing Support
Accuracy Reader – Elexi Walker

 

Research and development

Dramaturg – Gail Babb
Creative Consultants – ‘Funmi Adewole and Ashlee Roberts
Script Consultant – Arzhang Pezhman
Devisors – Kimisha Lewis & Rav Moore, Taja Christian & Hamza Ali, Holly Alana and Pavan Maru

 

About the team

Shane Shambhu – Creative Director

Shane is a multidisciplinary performer, theatre-maker, writer and curator who began his artistic journey began with South-Indian performing artform bharatanatyam, and is now an award-winning choreographer, Birmingham REP Foundry Alumni and one of OneDanceUK’s Future Leaders. His works have toured nationally and internationally and has worked with companies and artists including BBC TV & Radio, Complicité, Royal Opera House, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company, Theatre Ad Infinitum, Jatinder Verma, Nigel Planer and many others. His unique performance approach has been shared at RADA, East 15 Acting School, Grotowski Institute Poland, Les Reperages Brazil, Goldsmiths College, Centre for Asian Theatre & Dance, Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity and is part of the Old Vic’s Inside guide to Physical Theatre.

 

Angela Ekaette Michaels

Angela is a freelance theatre director, facilitator and coach. Angela specialises in new writing and also developing new work for marginalised voices. She is an Associate Director of CITWP, co-founder of Tell Tarra and was Associate Director at the Half Moon Theatre.​ Credits include: Conundrum, Young Vic (associate director), Mami Wata, Bush Theatre; Red Dirt (work in progress), Arcola Theatre; Chiggerfoot Boys, Sankara, National Theatre Studio; Merchant of Venice, Studio 3 Arts; The Tragedian, Rich Mix & tour; Futebol, GDIF; Inspire, Tell Tarra at the Royal Court Theatre; King of the Castle, Hackney Empire Studio; The Next Big Thing, Fathers and Sons, Albany Theatre; Look to the Sky, Begin/End, We Are Shadows, Locked In, Half Moon followed by national tours.

 

Shireenah Ingram – Performer and devisor

Shireenah Ingram is an award-winning actress working across film, television and theatre. Born and raised in Birmingham, her practice is rooted in character-led storytelling and a commitment to authentic representation on screen and stage.

Her professional career began at 14 when she appeared as Lady Capulet in Ballet Hoo! with Birmingham Royal Ballet, a televised project that marked the start of her longstanding relationship with performance and community-facing work. Since then, Shireenah has worked extensively across screen and stage, with credits including the BBC, Royal Shakespeare Company, BFI and ScreenSkills, alongside commercial campaigns for Boots, Mercedes, Vodafone, Kellogg’s and the NHS.

Alongside her acting work, Shireenah is the founder of Red Lens, a performance-led platform dedicated to developing bold work and supporting underrepresented voices. Red Lens’ debut production, False Accounts, premiered in London’s West End before touring to the Midlands, championing regional stories and inclusive creative practice.

Shireenah is also a former Acting Teacher at BOA Stage and Screen Post-16 Academy and a Board Member of Birmingham Royal Ballet, completing a full-circle journey from her first professional performance to leadership within one of the city’s flagship cultural institutions.

Across all areas of her work, Shireenah remains driven by story, craft and the power of performance to reflect lived experience — particularly those rooted in the Midlands and beyond

 

Maariyah Sharjil – Production Designer

Her most recent productions include; Designer for Before the Millenium (Old Fire Station, Oxford); Fy Enw i yw Rachel Corrie (Theatr Cymru); Vitamin D (Soho Theatre); Duck (Arcola); Associate Designer for Safe Space (Chichester Festival Theatre); Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet and Yew (Bush Theatre); Assistant Designer for A Tupperware of Ashes (National Theatre); The Empress (RSC); Hakawatis (Globe); Assistant Costume Designer for The Father and the Assassin (National Theatre); Associate designer for Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet and Yew (Bush Theatre); As you like it (Globe); Costume researcher for Life of Pi (American Repertory theatre); Costume Designer for Little Brother (Jermyn Street Theatre); and The Key Workers’ Cycle (Almeida).

She is a first-class graduate from BA Design for Performance at the Royal Central School of speech and Drama (2021). Before her design training, Maariyah worked at Sands Films as a costume constructor.

 

Gillian Tan – Video and Lighting Designer

Gillian is a multi-disciplinary designer, working across lighting and video for  theatrical, immersive and interactive experiences. Theatre credits include: No Such Thing As Wolves (Birmingham Hippodrome); I Dream of Theresa May (Tara Theatre); Mind Mangler (Apollo Theatre, New York, Virgin Cruises, UK Tour); Elephant; A Playlist for the Revolution & Insane Asylum Seeker (Bush Theatre), South Pacific (Chichester Festival Theatre, Sadlers Wells & UK Tour); Daniel Kaluuya’s Centre 59’s Sonder(s) (The Roundhouse); The Last Five Years & Threads (Singapore Rep); FAGHAG & Who Do You Love ( Edinburgh Fringe Festival); Sam Wu Is NOT Afraid of Ghosts (Polka); The Boy With Wings (Polka Theatre & Birmingham Rep); Please Do Not Touch (China Plate); Cabaret Royale (Gaillard Center, Charleston USA); The Body Remembers, Black Love; Really Big & Really Loud; Cinderella – The Awesome Truth, Alyssa, Memoirs of A Queen (Vaudeville Theatre); Aisha and Abhaya (Royal Ballet/Rambert)

 

Archita Kumar – Composer

Archita Kumar is a London-based composer and dance artist. Drawing on a foundation in Indian classical dance and music, her compositional portfolio spans commissions for companies including Headlong, ArtsEd, Ellandar, Akademi, Sampad, Spin Arts and West End in Schools. Recently, Archita expanded her theatrical repertoire by composing for a new Musical Theatre project, and contributing to the development of a new play at the National Theatre Studio. Her music has been broadcast on BBC Radio, and her international credits include composing for the Japanese pop market. As a performer, she has appeared at the Southbank Centre and Glastonbury Festival, as well as vocal contributions to the BBC’s India’s Great Railway Journey documentary and performance credits with Pritam Chakraborty and Kasabian.

 

Gerry Smith – Sound Designer

Born in Cardiff, moved to Birmingham after attending University, then studied piano gaining diplomas from the London College of Music. Played with a variety of rock, pop and jazz bands in Birmingham and in the 90’s recorded six albums with folk-rock band The Bushburys, touring for over ten years around the UK and Europe. Currently performs with The Whiskey Brothers blues band and the Burdock Ceilidh band. Began making soundtracks in 1990 for the Moving Hands Theatre company.
Since then has composed, performed and recorded music and sound for over fifty theatre productions,  including work with Birmingham Theatre School, Theatre Blah Blah Blah, Playhouse Theatre in Education, and Altered Skin.

 

Elliot Mitchell – Production Manager

Elliot is a Birmingham based Stage and Production Manager working on a wide variety or productions up and down the country. After graduating from the University of Birmingham with a BA (Hons) Drama and Theatre Arts, recent credits include Sweet Henry V (Birmingham Rep), Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas (Birmingham Rep) and Beauty & the Beast Ballet (Ballet Britain).

 

Amelia Cameron-Padmore – Production Assistant and ASM

Amelia is a Musical Theatre Graduate of Midlands Academy of Musical Theatre. She is currently  a dancer with MARHSON Dance Company directed by Nathan & Melody Sinclair-Marsh.Credits include: Dorothy in Wizard of Oz & Mole in Wind in the Willows (UK Tour, Paperback Theatre); Assistant Stage Manager in The Jingleclaw (Birmingham Hippodrome); Stage Manager (BEAM); Belle in Beauty and the Beast (Wolverhampton Grand); Assistant Choreographer in Wizard of Oz (The Old Rep); Thyme/U/S Rapunzel/U/S Ragwort/Assistant Stage Manager/Assistant Choreographer (Sutton Coldfield Town Hall); Props Assistant in Opening Ceremony (Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022); Shadow Assistant Stage Manager in Grimeboy (Birmingham Rep); Swing in Aladdin (Experience Theatre); Dance Captain/Ensemble in Kinky Boots (Blue Orange Theatre); Dancer in The Greatest Show: Songs From Hollywood (UK Tour)

 

SJ Watkinson – Producer
SJ is an independent theatre producer who’s worked with a wide range of companies and artists in the UK and Spain. She began her working life as a theatre designer and workshop leader before moving into producing. She also works with solo artist Natalie Bellingham and drag legend Fatt Butcher, and is Artist Support Producer with In Good Company, delivering 121 mentoring and advice sessions for artists and companies across the Midlands.