ALL THESE FACES ARE MINE (2024)

Originally a series of images from 2021, All These Faces Are Mine was reimagined as a gallery exhibition and installation performance art piece at HAAM Gallery in Lahore. The exhibition was curated by Talal Faisal Ismaili and featured artworks by Talal, Farwa Rizvi, Hamza Rana, and Yumna, in addition to four of my short films, the original image series as a video, and an interactive work inviting audience to put their own faces in the character’s bodies.
The performance was an hour long installation type piece in which I became each of the characters one by one, interacting with the exhibition along the way. The piece meant to explore the idea of clothes as skins, with each character’s costume displayed on a podium before and after the performance.
Gillian in a gallery space in a wig cap

THE CLOWN & HIS SHADOW (2024)

Premiered in 2024 in Lahore, this production was the culmination of two years of work. It featured narration by voice-over artist and actor Scott Leslie and music by David Joseph Wesley. The performance blends live and video elements in order to have both Jean-Claude and Pierrot onstage together.
The performance follows the life of Jean-Claude, an actor who works his way into the mimes and becomes the iconic sad clown. From young man to falling in love, the story tracks how Jean-Claude and Pierrot act as foils to each other, and explores the relationship between actor and character.
Gillian as Jean-Claude at his dressing table in The Clown & His Shadow

THE PIRATE (2023)

Based on a YouTube drama created in 2021, The Pirate was a one person science fiction mystery play. The play takes place in a world where the space junk problem has gotten so bad that rockets can’t fly and no one on the surface can see the stars. That’s the way it’s been for over a thousand years, but everything is about to change. After a young man named Jax has a terrifying encounter with an infamous robot called the pirate, it almost seems like destiny that humanity sees the stars again…
Gillian in a hoodie kneeling with a small lamp

SEARCHING FOR PIERROT (2023)

Written as an advent calendar for Patreon in 2022, this story was adapted as a one-person play in 2023 and premiered at Tagheer Lahore in Pakistan. It was later performed in Westcliffe, Colorado, in August 2023.
This coming-of-age play, features multiple characters and tells the story of a young boy growing up in the late 19th century. A surprising encounter with the famous sad clown of the theater, Pierrot, sets off a chain of events that leads the boy through the mimes, the freak show, and the opera. He meets a host of colorful and mysterious characters that prompt him to question what it really means to be remarkable, and what it costs.
Gillian performing searching for pierrot

GILLIAN PLUS ONE (2022)

Gillian Plus One was a celebration of the incredibly varied artists in the performance space in Lahore. It featured 5 new collaborations and performances with Jannat Ali, Safira Rajpoot, Abdullah Hassan, Sarah Mumtaz and Wahab Shah. Each collaboration stands on its own, and together tell a story of the strength of performance now and to come. The show was performed at The Colony Lahore and was sponsored in part by GymArmour.

a dancer leaping into another dancer's arms in black and white

WITH LOVE FROM GILLIAN (2021)

With Love From Gillian was originally a solo performance that became a full production. It first premiered in Lahore, Pakistan, in 2021 and consisted of three solos, “Parce Domine,” “Big Universe Small Human,” and “With Love From Gillian.”
Later in 2021, With Love From Gillian came to Lausanne, this time adding short films between the solos and a live crowd sourced improvisation in the place of the last solo.
low angle shot of Gillian looking frightened with spotlight in the background

MORE THAN MY GENDER (2021)

More Than My Gender is a spoken word/dance performance video which investigates and challenges the assumption that everything a woman is and does must be measured against her gender.
More Than My Gender was produced in collaboration with British Council and features Sarah Mumtaz and Tanzila Khan as performers with original music by Natasha Humera Ejaz. It was filmed by Bilal Awan. In addition to the full video below, check out the making of documentary!

poster of more than my gender with three women, one in a wheelchair holding another in a pose and one standind behind

THE NAME I GIVE MYSELF (2018)

Every day, we are assaulted by images and labels, whether it be from the internet, advertisements, or family and friends. “The Name I Give Myself” is a story about the struggle to dig past the images and expectations others give us and find the true representation of ourselves.
The Name I Give Myself Premiered at Olomopolo in Lahore, Pakistan, in December 2018, and was later invited to perform at the GIKI All Pakistan Performing Arts Festival in spring 2019.
three silhouetted dancers, two dancers lifting the third above their heads by the arms