Casting announced for ANITA AND ME at Edinburgh's King's Theatre in March

Shobna Gulati (Coronation Street, Dinner Ladies) stars as 'Daljit' in the new tour of Anita and Me, with exclusive Scottish dates at the King's Theatre Edinburgh 28 March - 1 April 2017. Adapted by multi award-winning Tanika Gupta from the book by Meera Syal, directed by Roxana Silbert, with original music by the Ringham Brothers, the production also features a local Edinburgh ensemble including 16 year old Firrhill High School pupil Anisah Rasul playing Baby, Meera's sister .

Joining Shobna on stage will be Laura Aramayo as 'Anita', Sam Cole as 'Sam Lowbridge', Therese Collins as 'Mrs Worrall', Rina Fatania as 'Namina', Rebekah Hinds as 'Mrs Ormerod / Deidre', Sejal Keshwala as 'Aunty Shaila / Fortune Teller', Megan McCormick as 'Tracey / Sandy', Robert Mountford as 'Shyam', Tom Oakley as 'Ned / Bazza', Humera Syed as 'Pinky', Aasiya Shah as 'Meena', Aaron Virdee as 'Uncle Amman / Mr Bhatra', and Claire Worboys as 'Mrs Lowbridge'.

The professional company will perform alongside eight actors drawn from the local Edinburgh community: Anisah Rasul, Adam George Butler, Ellen Georgia Aitken, Megan Fraser, Malachi Reid, Suzanne Senior and Head of Creativity and Diversity at the Festival and King's Theatres, Cerin Richardson, making her King's stage debut!

Lighting design is by Chahine Yavroyan, sound Design by Ben and Max Ringham, original choreography by Ann Yee, Set and costume design is by Bob Bailey.

This poignant coming-of-age tale follows Meena, a young girl growing up in the only Punjabi family in a 1970s Black Country mining village. Meena spends her days happily getting into scrapes with the other local children until one day the impossibly cool Anita enters her life.

Suddenly Meena knows exactly who she wants to be but is Anita all that she seems? Soon Meena's world is turned upside down as she is caught between two very different cultures.

Anita And Me paints a comic, poignant, compassionate and colourful portrait of village life in the era of flares, power cuts, glam rock, decimalisation and Ted Heath.

Syal said, "I'm delighted that Anita and Me is touring the UK. It is amazing to think of so many people engaging in this story - particularly young people, who like me as a child, may be wondering how they fit in!"

Further tour dates are available on the Theatre Cloud website.

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