Behna Party Pack

How to join in and organise your own Behna Party!

Behna (Sisters) is a play set in a Punjabi household the day before a wedding. As the festivities peak there are ‘real’ fireworks going off in the kitchen between two generations of sisters.

Party Pack: The Perfect Recipe for Your Behna Party

Before Guests Arrive

  • Become part of the wider Behna party by spreading the word: email friends, sign up to the event on Facebook ‘Behna (Sisters) – Live Webcast’, or write a tweet!
  • Make sure that you have a computer with internet access – the bigger the monitor the better – and that the website’s up and running so that you’re ready to join in the fun. You could even use a projector for life-size action!
  • Have a digital camera charged and at the ready to photograph your Behna party.

Suggested Ingredients

  • Asian snacks: Buy in samosas, pakora, spring roles or Bombay mix, or have fun making your own: www.indianfoodforever.com/snacks/vegetable-pakora.html
  • Rubicon mango juice or Cobra beer
  • Party clothes: Ask your guests to join in the celebration by coming suited and booted or in their favourite wedding outfit, Asian or otherwise.
  • Wedding photos: Dig out your snaps to share with your friends and the world on the Behna gallery. Send them by email to us@bctouring.co.uk
  • Mehndi: (henna) Buy it from your local Asian corner shop ready-mixed to use on your guests. If you don’t know what to do, go to www.hennapage.com to teach yourself the basics. You can print out these basic templates to have a go at creating your designs on paper: www.hennatribe.com/pdf/
  • A tale to tell: Why not join the great Punjabi tradition of oral storytelling by asking each guest to come with a tale to share after the show, be it a wedding story, folk tale, or family memory?

The Party

Pre-Performance

  • Get your party going by inviting everyone round early and having some Bhangra on in the background to get your guests in the party mood. Alternatively, listen to some Punjabi wedding songs at www.smashits.com/music/marriage-songs
  • Share round the snacks and drinks.
  • Try out your mehndi designs on your guests. Here’s a website with even more designs to get you inspired: www.hennadesigns.org/indian-mehndi-designs/
  • Get involved in pre-performance chat on the Behna website and let the world know that your party has started!
  • Share with us photos of your family weddings and those of your friends by email so we can upload onto our online gallery.
  • You could share some of your favourite wedding songs too. What did you or your guests have playing at your weddings?

The Performance

Don’t get so carried away with your festivities that you forget to watch the performance!

Dim the lights for the theatre experience, tune in early, and settle down to watch the show.

The Aftershow Party

  • Discuss the show with your guests, then share your party’s thoughts online.
  • Share your tales of weddings past and family traditions.
  • Finally, don’t forget to take a snap of your Behna party and email it to us to upload it onto the website.

Downloads

Click the link below to download a Pdf version of the ‘Behna Party Pack’.

Download the Behna Party Pack PDF