Browse Sections

• Education
• Business
• Blog
• Special reports

From classroom to stage - all in a days work for Aneeqa Masala

1/11/2002

SHE is a quiet student by day but a sassy in-your-face chick by night.

From nine to five Aneeqa Khan studies diligently for her GCSEs but at night she becomes part of Asian comedy's latest troupe - The Masala Girls. Her quips and sharp observations come from the pen of Coronation Street's Shobna Gulati who also directs the show. When the applause dies down Aneeqa still has to find time for homework.

The 15-year-old from Helmshore, Lancashire, said: "It was hard combining school and acting. I wasn't getting home after a performance until 11.30pm and still had homework to do, but luckily most of the rehearsing was done in summer."

Aneeqa's love of acting blossomed when she began attending drama classes at the Oldham Coliseum aged 12. She said: "I had always been an attention seeking child so taking acting classes was a natural step."

After being spotted in a performance of the Amazing Story of Cabeza de Vaca, a play created by theatre company Horse and Bamboo and the Oldham Theatre, Aneeqa was recommended for Masala Girls. But getting her first professional role came as quite a surprise, as she had been told that she was probably too young.

She said: "I felt worried about taking it on because I knew the other actors had already bonded with each other and had much more acting experience than I did."

The show which, features a nine-string all female multi-cultural cast, deals with life, love and everything in between.

"We are showing there is more than the stereotypical vision of women from all different backgrounds. What Shobna has achieved is very inspiring. The experience has been excellent - completely different from anything I have done before - and I have learnt so much about acting."