About me

Esalan is a theatre director and writer. Most recently, she took two shows to Camden Fringe 2024, both of which received five star reviews and had extended runs: ’Maybe I Should Stop’ (Lion & Unicorn) and ‘The Waiting Room’ (Camden People’s Theatre). Other directing includes: ’Regeneration’ (Aldridge Theatre, 2024), ‘From Ten Feet Up’ (Mountview, 2023), and ‘Violet’ (Norwich Theatre Royal, 2023). 

My Plays

Sharps


Synopsis:

A grieving doctor visits her friend’s bookshop for the first time in weeks after the impending Stay At Home order is announced. Stories flood the stage as they distract themselves again and again. How do we cope if we don’t know when the worst will be over?


Number of Characters: 2


Minimum Number of Actors Required: 2


Length (in Pages): 34


Location: Bookshop during the pandemic


Key Words: Queer, Women, Pandemic, Mental Health, Friendship


Has the Play Been Produced? Yes


Are the Rights Available? Yes


Has the Play Been Published? No


Award nominations/wins:


Reviews:

The Lovers: After Shakespeare


Synopsis:

'A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is a magical romp through a forest filled with confused lovers and the occasional donkey.

‘The Lovers’ asks whether it is quite so comedic when the trappings of fairies and mechanicals fall away, leaving what is ultimately an uncomfortably dark exploration of what it means to be in love.


Number of Characters: 4


Minimum Number of Actors Required: 4


Length (in Pages): 25


Location: Athens and the magical woods beyond.


Key Words: Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night\'s Dream, Adaptation, Queer, Love, Comedy, Drama, Magic, Young People, Relationships, Masculinity, Femininity, Women, Friendship


Has the Play Been Produced? Yes


Are the Rights Available? Yes


Has the Play Been Published? No


Award nominations/wins:


Reviews:

\'Gates also masterfully resists the urge to incorporate Shakespeare’s dialogue, instead reinterpreting key scenes with a clear directorial instinct [...] A beautifully character led piece, with depth and style, it’s a fantastic piece of work that should, and I hope will, go further.\' - Palatinate

The Stress Test


Synopsis:

'The Big Short' meets 'The Imitation Game'.

Most of us think we know what happened in 2008: housing crises and wealthy banks taking high risks at the cost of ordinary people's lives. Not many of us know about the attempts at solutions.

A pressure cooker play centring around the New York Fed's decisions to save the banks as they collapsed in quick succession during the 2007-8 financial crash.


Number of Characters: 28


Minimum Number of Actors Required: 5


Length (in Pages): 100


Location: New York Fed Offices during the 2007-8 financial crash.


Key Words: Finance, New York, America, Economics, Pressure Cooker, Office, Morality, Drama, Comedy, Real Story


Has the Play Been Produced? No


Are the Rights Available? No


Has the Play Been Published? No


Award nominations/wins:


Reviews:

Location

London, UK

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