After a fall out during a school trip, two neurodivergent best friends get lost in time and end up making history.
This short is a commission by the Civil Aviation Authority as part of an effort to divulge the remarkable history of aviation in England and for the Civil Aviation industry to pitch exciting career opportunities to diverse workforce. In partnership, we foster inclusivity, social mobility and equity. Developed with was with students and teachers from inclusive college ELATT as part of Odd Eyes Theatre’s Arts Council Funded Project Elevate, it is a great example of true representation in art and on the screen. The protagonist, Mo and Dylan, are both ASD and real-life best friend. The story is based on their real persona.
Writer / Director: Emilia Teglia Starring: Mohammed Bassit & Dylan Brown Produced by: Al Johnstone | Andreea Tudose | Emilia Teglia Director of Photography: Kai-Yan Lai First AD: Kate Hartnoll Access coordinator: Amelia Glydon
Over the moon about the accolade of awards for On The Line at The White Rose Film Festival 2025.
I’m a writer and director for theatre and film. My stories amplify the extraordinary real experiences of ordinary people, representing them and giving them visibility. I’m an advocate for diversity as a philosophy of life: my mission is to enable the circulation of ideas through creative communication between individuals from every socioeconomic background, country and walk of life.
Since 2010 I am Artistic Director at Odd Eyes Theatre.I have written and directed the majority of the company’s productions, for screen and stage. After training in Stanislavski-based acting techniques in Italy and London, I travelled Europe working in theatres of all scales and scopes and roles. From the wardrobe department of Teatro dell’ Opera Donizetti in Bologna, to fire-eating shows in public squares and burlesque performances at cabarets and festivals, including Glastonbury.
It wasn’t all glamour and glitter. In the late 90s, my luck was down. After the buzz of winning the European literary prizes for two consecutive years, I ended up in a very abusive relationship, survived but found myself homeless and coping with the aftermaths in very self-destructive ways. During this (un)fortunate spell, I got to know Cardboard Citizens and my luck begun to change again. I trained with Augusto Boal, activist, torture survivor and founder of Theatre of the Oppressed. It was the beginning of a new journey as a story-teller and change maker.
In 2022 I was nominated in the Top 100 changemakers for bringing a positive contribution to a better society through the arts. In this interview with The Big Issue I reflect on my journey from selling the magazine outside Old Street tube station to founding Odd Eyes Theatre.
WRITING AND DIRECTING
My latest short film, 900 Feet Up, and my previous short, On The Line, are currently on the festival circuit. On The Line has earned me an award for Best Director award and Jury Choice award at The White Rose Film Festival as well as Best Edited Film award from the London Women Film Festival. It was nominated for Best Short at the UK Festival Awards and the UK Cinematography Award.
“The film’s tone dances between light-hearted comedy and underlying drama, thanks to strong writing and direction. ‘On The Line’ stands out as a bold, engaging exploration of the complexities of youth, loyalty, and class. Unmissable.” Short Films Matter
The stage version of On the Line first opened at Camden People’s Theatre in 2022 and toured until February 2023. I wrote this coming of age comedy/drama with a group of young people from Camden, using Creative Debate , the techniques I developed through my experience with the participatory theatre of Augusto Boal. In 2022 I also directed Nine Night by Natasha Gordon, an autobiographical play about Gordon’s British-Jamaican background. In 2019 I wrote White Other, a surrealist play inspired by Pygmalion, by G.B. Shaw, after directing the classic masterpiece in June of the same year. The production was one big tick off my bucket list as it was an old dream of mine to direct this evergreen masterpiece.
“Stunning, was just stunning. What Emilia’s done to this production is sort of ground level, in the sense that she’s taken us completely to Shaw and his critique about being ‘other’.” Bonnie Greer
My play #Haters toured twice in 2015 and 2017 before I adapted it for screen (Honourable Mention, The White Rose International Film Festival 2025 & Runner Up Best Actor, London Lift-Off Film Festival 2019) . In 2017 I also wrote Close Up, a play about a raunchy 92-year-old ex-showgirl and a young woman aspiring TV director, written in response to the #metoo scandals, performed at the Pleasance Theatre and at New Diorama Theatre. For Odd Eyes Theatre I also devised and directed over 15 plays including Forum Theatre plays and 70 minute long plays Location, Location, recipient of the Unlimited Big Local Award 2013, and How Can I Help?
My freelance directorial work includes Cooking with Elvis by Lee Hall at Theatro Technis, Content, by Hannah Puddefoot, at Theatre503. I collaborated with Cardboard Citizens as assistant director to Adrian Jackson on Cathy and with Vital Xposure as Assistant Director and dramaturg on Hold the Hearse! by Julie McNamara alongside Terry Galloway.
FILM – SHORTS, DOCUMENTARIES, MUSIC VIDEOS
My film work spans from short films to music videos to unscripted documentaries. My third short, 900 Feet Up, is in preproduction. My second short, On The Line, is on the festival circuit and, together with my first short, #Haters is screening in art venues and schools with a programme of Creative Debate workshops produced by Odd Eyes Theatre since 2018. I worked with young people to develop unscripted documentary projects based on their experiences. Some of these include collaborations with ELATT, BT Sport and Circle Collective. You can see here Connected and Community Action in Action. For some of my work with migrants, watch Conversation Club. I enjoy editing and I’ve loved the challenge of editing a long zoom-filmed project by Hackney Shed, Find a Partner, as part of National Youth Theatre Festival 2021. I also directed the music videos for ‘Una Saeva Walk Side by Side, filmed during the Xtinction Rebellion protests of 2019, and Come Alive in 2021.
TEACHING
Gilly Daniels and Andrew Goddard. Close Up R&D 2018 Photo: David Sprecher
Teaching is my other passion. I am invited Lecturer at Goldsmiths College and at London Metropolitan University where I teach Dramaturgy, Playwriting and Theatre of the Oppressed techniques. As a freelance director, I worked at the Roundhouse, Hoxton Hall, Midkent College, Cardboard Citizens, Tyatro Barbone and secondary schools, colleges and universities in UK, Italy and Turkey.
TRAINING Before moving to London, I trained as an actor in Italy with Beatrice Bracco (Teatro Blu), Lucia Panaro (Accademia Silvio D’Amico), Tenerezza Fattore (Cassiopea Teatro). In the UK I trained with Augusto Boal and Adrian Jackson in Theatre of the Oppressed methodologies including Forum Theatre and Rainbow of Desire techniques.
I hold a Theatre Studies BA Hons degree and a Master in Cultural History (achieved with Distinction) with a dissertation on the history of Forum Theatre in UK.
On The Line is still on the festival circuit. Available to watch by private request.
Two best friends skip school to enjoy a day of luxury at a rich classmate’s villa and end up facing life-changing choices between loyalty and ambition.
“The film’s tone dances between light-hearted comedy and underlying drama, thanks to strong writing and direction. The real genius of ‘On The Line’ lies in its self-aware, fourth-wall-break. With exceptional cinematography, sound design, and a well-executed narrative, ‘On The Line’ stands out as a bold, engaging exploration of the complexities of youth, loyalty, and class. Unmissable.” Short Films Matter Full review
On The Line won me Best Director & Jury Choice award at The White Rose International Film Festival and Best Edited Short Award from the London Women Film Festival. It was also a Nominee at the Cinematography and Photography Festival, for the wonderful photography by Kai-Yan Lai, and Runner Up for Best Ensemble in recognition of the incredible team that brought it to life. It is still on the festival circuit.
On The Line was born from the real experiences of a group of young people from Camden, London, in particular two young women, Cheyanne Thompson and Emily Johnstone, and their friends from Action Youth Boxing Intervention. After watching my first short, #Haters (also based on real events), they devised scenes and shared experiences of growing up bright but poor, with the painful awareness of starting life on the backfoot. The dialogue is taken verbatim from their slang, bursts with their humour, their insecurities, their cultural and musical references. It brings you intimately into their world, uncovering the real individuals behind the statistics, with their complexities and deep believe in the vital role of friendship, their conflicted relationship with their families and the pull between loyalty and aspiration.
Adapting the play for screen was a very long process. I knew a film longer than 15 minutes would prove hard to sell on the festival circuit. For nearly one year I drafted and redrafted, yet the re-shapes would inevitably compromise the original ending, which was essential to honour the young storytellers. In the end, I had to settle for truth over product marketability. Their fun yet challenging tale needed to be told as it was—full of naivety, tenderness, and resilience—to deliver a message of hope to us all.
Writer / Director / Editor: Emilia Teglia Producers: Andreea Tudose, Emilia Teglia for Odd Eyes Theatre D.O.P. Kai-Yan Lai
Main cast: Moses Alexander (Kai) Annie Taylor (Tia) Jasmine Clifford (Sienna)
Two plays for the 21st century written in response to real events.
Gritty, gripping and witty, #Haters and On The Line deal with topical issues of cultural identity and barriers to social mobility, exposing the challenges faced by young people growing up in the current tough political environment.
Great texts for audition monologues and drama groups 16+.
Written by Emilia Teglia as part of Odd Eyes’ Creative Debate programme.
When Camden teenagers Tia and Kai find themselves living it up in their rich schoolmate’s mansion, they think their day can’t get any better… Until a priceless fishing fly mysteriously vanishes, leading to home truths being revealed and friendships stretched to breaking point.
On The Line deals with topical issues of cultural identity and barriers to social mobility, exposing the challenges faced by young people growing up in the current tough political environment.
Emilia Teglia has developed the play from an original idea by Cheyanne Thomson and Emily Johnston, both 17 at the time of writing, as part of Odd Eyes’ Creative Debate programme.
This is (almost) a first for me. I do not usually read plays, as I prefer to go and see them performed on stage. But it worked! I quickly got drawn into the plot and felt the same as when I’m sitting in the dark, breathing in the magic of the theatre. The characters are realistic and credible, the dialogues flow naturally, full of humour, despite the tragic events inspiring both plays. Above all, the narrative focuses on issues that are topical, pressing and deeply relevant to our times. But what impressed me most is the methodology applied by Odd Eyes Theatre – the collaborative philosophy behind it, and the creative communication between people coming from different backgrounds. This is responsible theatre practice that denounces inequality and opens a debate among the public. All my respect to the author and to all those involved in the creative process! More plays, please!
When Gloria’s time comes, the traditional Nine Night rituals begins. With food, drinks, music, laughter and memories, the people in her life come together across generations and continents to celebrate her. But nine nights of party don’t ease the complexities of this family’s dynamics.
Natasha Gordon’s debut play has been described as “a touching and very funny exploration of the rituals of family.” Intrinsically specific in its cultural references to Jamaican traditions, it touches on universal experiences of families dealing with death and talks about grief, love, exposed secrets and greed. Nine Night is also a play about migrants’ eternal struggle to define themselves.
It enjoyed a stunning sold-out run at the National Theatre in April 2018 before transferring to Trafalgar Studios, making Natasha Gordon the first black British female playwright to be produced in the West End.
This remount directed by Emilia run to full houses at Tower Theatre in June 2022.
Funny, tense and almost painfully pertinent. The Reviews Hub
‘We stick out like balls on a bulldog in these endz. It’s gonna be like three seconds before they stop and search us.’
When inner city teenagers Tia and Kai find themselves living it up in their rich schoolmate’s mansion, they think their day can’t get any better. Until a priceless fishing fly vanishes, leading to home truths being revealed and life-long friendships stretched to breaking point.
Gritty, gripping and witty, On The Line is a coming of age play for today exploring issues of cultural identity and barriers to social mobility, exposing the challenges faced by young people growing up in the current tough political environment.
Emilia Teglia has developed the play from an original idea by Cheyanne Thomson and Emily Johnston and their friends from Camden’s Action Youth Boxing Intervention in response to #Haters as part of Odd Eyes Theatre’s Creative Debate project. The story is based on their experiences. The soundtrack with tunes by their favourite Drill and pop artists underscores their humour, bitterness and complexities.
Like ODD EYES’ previous work, On The Line deals with topical issues of cultural identity and barriers to social mobility, exposing the challenges faced by young people growing up in the current tough political environment.
On The Line opened at Camden People’s Theatre on 29 November 2022 and toured until February 2023
The script is available in paperback and digital format here
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer & Director: Emilia Teglia
Tia performed by: Giorgia Valentino Kai performed by: Zacchaeus Kayode
Marketing Assistant (Placement): Alara Koroglu Administrator: Sara-Jane Kaba Rehearsal photographer Alex Brenner Marketing photographers: Paul Grieve and Giorgia Valentino
Image credit: Paul Grieve & Giorgia Valentino | Design: Max Batty
OUR AUDIENCE SAID:
‘A play of the 21st century in “Endz!”’
‘It is very different to any play you have probably seen and is very interesting.’
‘An in-depth look into wealth, class and the age of Gen-Z. The themes of class division with a flash of police were extremely resonant with the current climate. (Jack Edwards, Programme and events assistant at Richmix, attending Tower Theatre sharing)
‘Congratulations Odd Eyes Theatre on another great show. Your production of On The Line was enjoyable from the fun beginning, dramatic middle, to the heart-warming end. A great story of teenage friendship.’
TOUR
Interested in bringing On The Line to your theatre venue or school? Find out more here and email info@oddeyestheatre.net to request more information.
White Other is the working title of Emilia’s new research and development project shining a light on the experiences of economic migrants in the UK and questions the efficacy of statutory monitoring criteria in classifying social groups.
The first stage of the project explored themes of “white otherness” in Pygmalion by G.B. Shaw. In 2019, we staged the original play gathering feedback from audiences and reviewers. Invited guest Bonnie Greer, playwright and migrant herself, took part to a Q&A to help us with the research. In 1912, Eliza Doolittle, the cockney flower girl training to improve her English and her social standing, bears many similarities with today’s economic migrants, especially English second language speakers. Eliza occupies the grey area between “underprivileged” , today officially labelled as BAME – anyone from “Black and Ethnic Minority background”, and the “privileged” box-ticking “White”. Ultimately, she lives in an unrecognised social space facing a unique sets of challenges. In the end, she never really fits any label or social category.
The research on Pygmalion led to the development of a new absurdist play written by Emilia Teglia and set in today’s Britain. Our contemporary “Eliza” is an English-second language speaker from a European country. Like many, she’s come here to find her fortune and leave the bleakness of a hopeless future behind.
Watch this trailer from the rehearsed reading of the work in progress.
For information about bringing White Other to your venue please email Chas De Swiet, producer, on chas.deswiet@googlemail.com
“A strong production that is definitely worth seeing.”
by Matthew Partridge for remotegoat on 13/06/19
Pygmalion, currently running at Tower Theatre’s home in Stoke Newington, is George Bernard Shaw’s most well-known play, in part due to the later musical adaptation “My Fair Lady”. However, director Emilia Teglia’s production makes it clear that the original was very different. After getting into a confrontation with Eliza Doolittle (Celia Learmonth) outside the theatre, linguist Professor Henry Higgins (Dickon Farmar) is shocked to have her visit him, demanding lessons that will make her fit to sell flowers in a shop, rather than on the corner of Tottenham Court Road. Urged on by his colleague Colonel Pickering (Simon Taylor), he sets out to prove that he can pass her off as a high-born lady in polite society.
Like many of Shaw’s play, this deal with the themes of poverty and the hypocrisy of middle class values. However, more than any of his other works, it embraces the dark side of human nature, from the father (Kevin Furness) who effectively sells his daughter for £5, to Higgins’ own behaviour. Dickon Farmar plays the Professor as an antihero, part bully, part overgrown child. Indeed, his relationship with his mother (Rosanna Preston) suggests that he is still desperately looking for her approval. Celia Learmonth is also superb as Eliza, moving from feral, to submissive, before ending the play firmly in control.
A strong production that is definitely worth seeing. Directed by Emilia Teglia and produced by Tower Theatre. Cast also includes Christopher O’Dea, Heather Dalton, Joanna Coulton Sarah Wenban and Peter Novis.
A warm welcome awaits you at this wonderful and comfortable theatre, upstairs in the octagonal tower, home of the Tower Theatre Company.
Emilia Teglia’s fabulous production of Shaw’s most popular play sticks closely to the original. The Edwardian humour is perfectly reflected, it retains all the play’s social themes and provides us with a very entertaining evening.
Dickon Farmar is superb as a condescending, capricious and aloof Professor Higgins who has ‘never met a man of good character’ and who wants to keep Eliza’s hat as a curiosity. Higgins is the fulcrum of the play and barely has time to draw breath. The incompatible relationship between Higgins and flower girl Eliza comes across well. But the star is Celia Learmonth; her Eliza Doolittle is magnificent.
Eliza’s changing mannerisms and phonetics are played equally well and the change in her personality is absolutely convincing. Simon Taylor as Colonel Pickering provides an effective foil between the two, and completes a seamless performance between the three characters.
Kevin Furness saves his best for last. The character of Alfred Doolittle gets a lot of the best gags – all excellently provided by Furness. The accent is spot on and, now ’delivered into middle-class morality’ he lights up the play’s final act.
The Eynsford Hills are a family devoted to social climbing. The hapless Freddy (Christopher O’Dea) is excellent. Heather Dalton and Joanna Coulton as Mrs and Clara Eynsford Hill work well together and it’s a shame that Joanna Coulton doesn’t have a larger part; maybe next time.
This production keeps all the play’s themes – social climbing, class, snobbery, grammar and manners – to the fore, it is professionally put together, the scene changes work well and it is a very funny and well-acted play. I was slightly baffled by a brief surreal musical interlude accompanied by flashing lights in the first half, but aside from that, it was a grand night out. You should go!
“Stunning, was just stunning. What Emilia’s done to this production is sort of ground level, in the sense that she’s taken us completely to Shaw and his critique about being ‘other’.” Bonnie Greer Click here for the full Q&A video with Bonnie Greer and Emilia Teglia.
Witness the transformation of Elisa Doolittle from flower girl to duchess in this timeless comedy about social divide, women’s rights and the “education” of the working class.
Pygmalion both delighted and scandalized its first audiences in 1914. Over one hundred years after it was written, its universally familiar characters, the egomaniac professor, the sassy flower girl and the drunkard philosopher, continue to stir roars of bitter-sweet laughter from audiences across the world.
Pygmalion remains G.B. Shaw’s most popular play. The widest audiences know it as the inspiration for the highly romanticized 1956 musical and 1964 Hollywood film My Fair Lady.
A new staging of the classic masterpiece remounted as part of the research and development for WHITE OTHER, a new play in development written by Emlia Teglia as part of Odd Eyes Theatre’ project about social mobility and cultural stereotypes in post-Brexit referendum Britain.
Written by: Bernard Shaw Directed by: Emilia Teglia
Produced in collaboration with Tower Theatre Supported with funding by Arts Council England
LONDON Tower Theatre, London 12 – 22 June at 7.30 Matinee: On Saturday 15 and 22 3.00 pm
FAROE ISLANDS National Theatre of the Faroe Islands, Tórshavn 1-3 July 7.30 pm
Following the twice-touring play of the same name, this screen adaptation looks at the accidental meeting of two unlikely friends and its “bromance” potential cut in the bud by circumstances linked to their social background.
