The JMK Trust has announced that Adam Karim has won this year’s JMK Award with his production of Guards at the Taj by Rajiv Joseph.
The JMK Award offers Adam the opportunity to stage his own full-scale professional show with designer Roisin Jenner, which will run at the OT from 26 Oct – 16 Nov.
Director Sam Woof and designer Natalie Johnson were awarded runners up prizes for their work on Colder than Here by Laura Wade.
Adam Karim said today “’Winning this award feels gigantic for me. I’m honoured and humbled to have been selected from a group of artists I know to be wonderful practitioners. I’d like to thank everyone who has helped me along my directing pathway, everyone at The Bush, The Donmar Warehouse, Paines Plough, thank you for giving me the opportunities to learn my craft.
Guards At The Taj is a special play, investigating a stark choice with humour, hope and tenderness, I think it has only become more relevant over time and I couldn’t be more excited to be bringing this to life with a really fantastic creative team. Special thanks to Roisin Jenner who gave up so much of her time designing our project, and of course to James Menzies-Kitchen whose name this wonderful, life changing opportunity exists to commemorate. See you at The Orange Tree!”
Adam Karim is a freelance theatre director and facilitator. He was most recently Donmar Warehouse Resident Assistant Director 2023 (Clyde’s, When Winston Went To War With The Wireless, Trouble In Butetown). His other theatre credits as a director include Platform (East15); Pressure Drop (Immediate Theatre, The Yard, Schools tour) and Second Person Narrative (Omnibus Theatre). As an assistant director, his credits include The P-Word (Bush Theatre, Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre) and Sorry You’re Not A Winner (Paines Plough).
Stephen Fewell, Chair of the JMK Trust, said today, “Over the last few years, we’ve become increasingly aware that the array of career pathways for developing artists may be narrowing, so it is wonderful to be able, with enormous support from the Orange Tree Theatre and all those who fund our work, to be announcing Adam as the recipient of the JMK Award. His bold ideas for this challenging and thrilling play will meet audiences this Autumn, and everyone can support his work by booking now!”
Tom Littler, Artistic Director of the OT, added “In a very competitive field of over a hundred and fifty applicants, Adam stood out for his clear-eyed vision for this superb play, and for his abundant ability to work with actors to create something special. We’re excited to produce his Guards at the Taj this autumn.”
Guard at the Taj is available to book from Tuesday 23 April. Priority Booking currently open to all OT Members and Patrons.
It’s crazy! Sixteen years in the making! Since we were kids, they’ve been building this!
Agra, India, 1648. The sun rises on the final day of construction of the Taj Mahal, the most beautiful monument the world has ever seen. Imperial Guards and best friends Babur and Humayun must once again follow the Emperor’s orders, and resist the temptation to steal a glimpse.
But as morning’s first light touches the pure white domes, the urge is too strong, and Babur and Humayun are about to discover that beauty comes at a terrible price.
This is an audacious, funny and ever-surprising play about friendship, betrayal and power.
