Octagon Theatre Bolton, Citizens Theatre and Wiltshire Creative, in association with Derby Theatre, are proud to present modern classic East is East by Ayub Khan Din, directed by Kash Arshad.
Stage and screen actor Bhasker Patel (Oedipus, Broadway & West End; Emmerdale, ITV) leads a stellar cast as the patriarchal George alongside Samantha Power (Brassic, Sky; Madame Blanc, Channel 5) as his wife Ella.
Exploring identity, generational conflict and the unbreakable bonds of family, the cast of this razor-sharp comedy also includes Zaki Ali (Good Ship Murder, Channel 5; First Days Gala, National Youth Theatre), Victoria Brazier (The Memory of Water, Octgaon Theatre; The Snow Queen, Dukes Lancaster), Sushil Chudasama (No Such Thing as Ordinary, Royal Exchange; Number One Fan, Channel 5), Maya Dhokia (The Jungle Book, Theatre by the Lake; Gorgon, Short Film), Zoe Iqbal (Odd Squad, CBBC; Erotic Novel Gone Wrong, JB Shorts), Matthew Khan (Waterloo Road, BBC; Hamlet, Gatehouse Theatre), Joeravar Sangha (All’s Well That Ends Well, Royal Shakespeare Company; East is East, National Theatre), Rahul Sidhu (Try Running Now, Short Film; The Buckingham Murders, Feature Film) and Danyal Ismail (Virdee, BBC; Ridley, ITV).
Completing the cast is Rohan Macleod who steps from his part-time job at the Octagon’s Kitchen and Bar onto the main stage of the theatre to take on the role of Sajit Khan.
In early 1970s Salford, the Khan family are living above a chip shop and on the fault line between two cultures. George Khan is determined to raise the family to follow his Pakistani way. His English wife, Ella, just wants to keep the peace. Meanwhile their seven children are busy discovering disco, denim, and defiance.
When George begins arranging marriages for his sons, rebellion erupts and loyalties are tested. What follows is a hilarious and deeply moving battle between tradition and change.
East Is East opens at Octagon Theatre, Bolton on 4 September before touring to Citizens Theatre, Derby Theatre. It will run at Salisbury Playhouse from 3 – 14 November.
