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Another laugh bubbles out of me, and I quiet myself when I hear someone’s door creaking open. It’s probably Amal, stress-baking. I should text Owais – Maha’s cousin and a friend of ours who moved from Karachi to London. He always wants to be kept in the loop if Amal appears particularly anxious or worried.
I shoot him a text before sliding back to The Tragedies’ chat.
Not to be a stalker, but I saw there’s another person in the group …?
Farah Sheikh
Oh, that’s Nur Hadi. You’re not gonna get any messages from her until tomorrow morning.
David Song
I think she’s at some freshers’ party. Living the life, really.
Anushka Menon
To summarize her story, Nur wears a hijab and was pretty much shunned from the LSDCATS casting before she’d even arrived.
David Song
I jolt forward, my body overheating with that sudden rage again. I’m not a naturally angry person – I’m the cool-headed one among my friends. But hearing these blatant experiences of racism is stoking a fire inside me.
That’s so messed up. I’m so angry right now.
Farah Sheikh
My words are inconsequential. I don’t know what metaphors and purple prose I’m supposed to use to explain how I’m feeling.
And that’s 100% valid to feel!! TBH, I’m sure the LSDCATS have been getting away with this kind of casting for ages. No one has ever got angry enough to stop them. But that’s why we have The Tragedies!!
Anushka Menon
Our group is open to anyone who’s trying to survive this industry, any creative who needs a safe space. Doesn’t matter what your skin tone is, or where you’re from, or how new you are to all of this. Everyone needs a shoulder to lean on.
Ben Stone
I’m piecing together the puzzle in my mind with new understanding. This isn’t a cult. This is a place to vent. This is what I was looking for. I was screaming into the Twitter void before, not expecting to be heard. Now I have been.
I can’t tell The Tragedies the truth of what happened in my audition. I don’t want them to think I was trying to equate my experience with theirs when I wrote my tweet. But I can be their friend. I can let them rant, scream, vent all they want. I can make them feel less alone. Just like Ben said – I can be a shoulder to lean on.
So, for the next hour, our conversation flows from the LSDCATS to our classes to setting up a meet-up soon.
I’ve got a lecture at ten, so I gotta hit the pillow. Talk to you guys tomorrow?
Ben Stone
I like that. Knowing they talk every day. Knowing they want to talk to one another again. I take a leap and chime in first.
Sure!
Farah Sheikh
Yeah, I’ll update you guys on how David attempts to kiss up to our seminar leader because he thinks she’s hot.
Anushka Menon
And I’ll let you guys know how Anushka stares at our fifty-year-old professor like he’s Ryan Gosling.
David Song
