Mon, 28 April, 2025 — Sat, 03 May, 2025
Directed by Niloo-Far Khan
A revealing drama exploring the lives of three intertwined women, and the personal journey of the daughter that connects them all.
A birth mother forced to give up her child.
An acting mother who needs money for her family.
An adoptive mother longing for a family.
A daughter chasing the truth to discover where she belongs.
The Brown Doll is a haunting exploration of loss, survival, and the price of motherhood. It is the debut play by Cilla Silvia, based on her own experience of being an adopted daughter, revealing the untold story of Sri Lanka’s exploitative adoption trade in the 1980s.
Writer: Cilla Silvia
Director: Niloo-Far Khan
Cilla Silvia is an international actor and writer based in London. The Brown Doll marks her debut as a playwright, and she is thrilled to bring it to Òran Mór. The play, longlisted for the ETPEP Award, has been carefully developed to shine a light on a powerful story. Through her writing, Cilla aims to give a voice to untold stories that deserve to be heard. Some of Cilla's theatre credits include: Opening Night (The Gielgud Theatre), Pretty Woman (Savoy Theatre), The Boy in The Dress (The Royal Shakespeare Theatre), The Happy Prince (The Place Theatre), Tiger Bay (Wales Millennium Centre), Twelfth Night (Park Theatre of Stockholm), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Park Theatre of Stockholm), The Last Five Years (Theatre Studio Leiderman), We Will Rock You (Cirkus Arena), West Side Story (Stockholm City Theatre), American Idiot (Cirkus Arena), Sweeney Todd (Stockholm City Theatre), The Jungle Book (Stockholm City Theatre), Hair (Stockholm City Theatre).
Niloo-Far Khan is an Edinburgh theatre-maker who believes stories can encourage us to look deeper into how we can share and navigate our belonging. Her recent works include assistant directing for companies such as National Theatre of Scotland, Edinburgh International Festival, The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Dundee Rep and Grid Iron. Her directing works include: Forever Home (A Play, A Pie and A Pint), Santa’s Little Astronaut (Macrobert Arts Centre), Jinnistan (A Play, A Pie and A Pint); radio plays, Finding Sea Glass (An Almost Tangible and National Theatre of Scotland Production for BBC Radio 4), The Waves: Glory, Glory an Edinburgh Story (A Holy Mountain Production in association with Tamasha, OFFIE Award Winner of Best Audio Production 2023); and co-creator of When Mountains Meet (Authentic Artist Collective and KT Producing).