Anita and Me transfers to Theatre Royal Stratford East

Anita and Me, by Meera Syal, adapted to stage by Tanika Gupta, transfers to Theatre Royal Stratford East following a two week run at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 29 October to 21 November 2015.

The Production will be directed by Roxana Silbert, with set design by Bob Bailey, lighting by Chahine Yavroyan, sound design by Ben and Max Ringham and movement by Anne Yee.

Cast includes Mandeep Dhillon (Meena), Ayesha Dharker (Daljit), Ameet Chana (Shyam), Jalleh Alizadeh (Anita) Amy Booth-Steel (Mrs Ormerod), Janice Connolly (Mrs Worrall), Joseph Drake (Sam), Kiren Jogi (Aunty Shaila), Megan McCormick (Tracey), Tarek Merchant (Ned), Chris Nayak (Uncle Amman) and Yasmin Wilde (Nanima).

Synopsis: "Anita and Me is a poignant coming-of-age tale that follows Meena, the irreverent teenage daughter of the only Punjabi family in the mining village of Tollington. When she becomes friends with the impossibly feisty Anita, she thinks she's found her soul mate but her world is turned upside down and she finds herself caught between her two cultures."

Meera Syal, who appeared on the London stage earlier this year in Behind the Beautiful Forevers at the National Theatre, said "I am excited to see that Anita and Me will be coming to the heart of the East End at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. It is a theatre that I have worked closely with in the early stages of my career and an area of London where I also spent many years living. It will be nostalgic to see my childhood story played out on the stage there and I'm thrilled that London audiences will get to witness what life was like for a young Punjabi girl growing up in the West Midlands."