ANITA AND ME to Transfer to Theatre Royal Stratford East

Meera Syal's much-loved novel bursts onto the stage for the very first time this Autumn. Adapted for the stage by the award-winning playwright, Tanika Gupta, and with specially composed music by Ben and Max Ringham, Anita and Me paints a colourful portrait of village life in 1970's West Midlands during the era of flares, power cuts and glam rock. Directed by Roxana Silbert, the production transfers to Theatre Royal Stratford East from 29 October, after the world premiere at Birmingham REP.

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 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."

Kerry Michael, Artistic Director at Theatre Royal Stratford East said, "We are delighted to be bringing Meera Syal's superb coming-of-age novel to Theatre Royal Stratford East's stage. Theatre Royal Stratford East's vision is to break new ground with shows that bring diverse stories and audiences to the heart of British theatre. We aim to create and present theatre for a beautifully diverse contemporary Britain and Anita and Me is a piece that will speak to a variety of audiences, and ultimately entertain."

Mandeep Dhillon takes the leading role of Meena. She is best known for her TV roles as Saz (BBC3's Some Girls) and Dacia (CBBC's Wolf Blood). She can be currently seen in one of BBC iPlayer's first Original Drama Shorts, My Jihad. Mandeep has also appeared in popular shows such as The Thick of It, Whitechapel and Cardinal Burns and on stage in Angle at the Bush and Little Platoons at the Bush Theatre.

Playing Meena's parents, Daljit and Shyam, are Ayesha Dharker and Ameet Chana. Ayesha Dharker played Meena's mother in the film of Anita and Me. She has recently appeared in Othello at the RSC and her many other theatre credits include the West End and Broadway musical Bombay Dreams, The Ramayana at Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Arabian Nights at the RSC. On television Ayesha has appeared in Coronation Street, Indian Summers and Doctor Who. Her film credits include Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and The Terrorist.

Ameet Chana was a series regular in EastEnders and has recently appeared in the BBC drama My Jihad alongside Mandeep Dhillon. On stage Ameet has appeared in Happy Birthday Sunita at Watford Palace Theatre and The Djinns of Eidgah at the Royal Court Theatre. His film credits include The Black Prince and Unhallowed Ground.

The cast for Anita And Me also includes: 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).

The production will be directed by Roxana Silbert, Artistic Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Previously an Associate Director at the Royal Shakespeare Company and former Artistic Director of Paines Plough, her directing credits include The King's Speech, Of Mice and Men, Khandan (Family), Tartuffe (Birmingham Repertory Theatre), the RSC's production of Dunsinane (International Tour & Hampstead Theatre), A Life of Galileo, Measure for Measure, Richard III and A Soldier in Every Son and Iron (Royal Court Downstairs).

Tanika Gupta's most recent plays include Love N Stuff (Theatre Royal Stratford East, The Empress (RSC)) and Wah! Wah! Girls (Theatre Royal Stratford East and Sadler's Wells). Tanika has also written extensively for BBC Radio drama, including the recent Letters from a Young Indian Revolutionary for BBC Radio 4 and Baby Farming for BBC Radio 3.

Anita and Me at Theatre Royal Stratford East is sponsored by Telford Homes (http://www.telfordhomes.london/).

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