Before the Millennium | Old Fire Station

New play Before the Millennium, from established writer of Brown Boys Swim, Karim Khan, is told through the eyes of two young immigrants from Pakistan in 1999 as they approach the new millennium. The show confronts their fears about where they will go, feeling like a major shift is on the way for them and not knowing what the next millennium will hold - there are discussions of what they have lost, gained and have to discover in the future since moving to a new country.

As Christmas and the new year roll around, Woolworths workers Iqra and Zoya meet the new seasonal temp - British desi girl Faiza, who is not quite who she seems on the surface. As she earns the trust of the two young women, secrets are dug up and tensions reach a boiling point as Iqra learns why Faiza has really come to Woolys that winter. The play gives a voice to those who were unheard by society in the past and still in the present, presenting a story that thousands of people in Britain have lived but has been ignored or written over enough that ‘immigrant’ has become a character in itself - Before the Millennium is a step towards filling the void in theatre where South Asian and immigrant voices should be.

With a trio of exceptional actresses telling the story on stage, there is an undeniable chemistry between all three of them as if they were sisters playing opposite each other. As a performer, special mention must go to Gurjot Dhaliwal as Zoya, whose sweetness and innocent naivety draws the audience in and makes us care deeply about her worries, especially as they are slowly pulled from under the mask of positivity she wears in the first part of the show. As we learn more about Zoya and her relationship with her family and home, Dhaliwal taps into a sensitive and delicate portrayal of the generally optimistic character, beginning to reveal her real fears about the future that have lived suppressed under piles of hope and shame.

Prabhleen Oberoi as Iqra shows a passion for justice and pride in her identity that many minorities are not often awarded without sacrificing the rest of the personality to it, yet with Khan’s script as a springboard, Oberoi brings all of the character to life as a skeptic and fiercely protective friend, allowing Iqra’s countless efforts to be presented with undertones of

well-earned smugness, under a layer of humility that are perfectly balanced.

The show also has the exciting benefit of a sound design and composition by XANA, who uses sound to signify time shifts, as well as backdropping scenes with dance and movement choreographed by Rakhee Sharma that together emphasise the bond between the characters and gives non-naturalistic moments to show more about the characters lives and personalities without relying on the script.

While the narrative remains intriguing through the first act of the play, towards the end the pace takes a drastic shift and starts to feel forced - perhaps as the more supernatural or fantasy elements come into play and don’t quite fit easily into the piece, the play struggles to connect reality to the things we don’t imagine to be possible. Once the pace shifts, the show struggles to pick back up and suffers a drop in energy as the focus hones in on Faiza and Zoya’s relationship without anything else surrounding the characters changing the shift makes the dynamic start to feel forced, with relationships changing with no prior invocation.

Before the Millenium is an intriguing new play that gives a voice to those who are underrepresented in theatre, and creates characters that give a new perspective on stories many thought they’d heard before. It is let down by the awkwardness of the non-realistic elements of the script that detach the audience from the scenes, but is still a pleasant show to watch, and boasts many access benefits for audiences such as optional pay it forward scheme tickets, a number of alcohol free performances and prayer space available.

Before the Millenium plays at The Old Fire Station in Oxford until 21st December 2025.

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★★★☆☆ (3*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Alex Brenner