immigration

Feature | Rehearsing Working Class Hero

by Diana Miranda

Written and co-performed by Bulgarian migrant Theo Hristov, Working Class Hero is an absurdist satire that takes us on a high-speed romp through the British class system via two actors with different backgrounds: a white, privately-educated Posh Actor frustrated by being pigeonholed, and his friend, a migrant Working Class Actor, who writes a script based on lived experience as a vehicle for himself. When Posh Actor lands the role instead, the shift cracks open the tensions beneath their friendship and the British casting ecosystem. Working Class Hero has taken the floor at Baron’s Court Theatre this month as part of VOILÁ Festival 2025. As a multilingual festival that showcases migrant-led productions, VOILÁ Fest seems like an ideal home for Working Class Hero and the questions it raises about the British theatre industry.

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Saria Callas, Camden People’s Theatre

by Anne-Charlotte Gerbaud

In Saria Callas, Seemia Theatre and Sara Amini deliver a powerful solo show that explores identity, memory, and freedom. This multimedia production traces the journey of Saria, who fled Iran to escape a life of restriction, only to realise that her decision may also have paved the way for her child to live freely in ways she couldn’t have imagined.

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Kim’s Convenience, Riverside Studios

by Zahid Fayyaz

Now a very popular Netflix sitcom, Kim Convenience reverts back to its theatrical roots for a second run in the current London theatre season. Previously at the Park Theatre, Ins Choi’s production is now on at Hammersmith’s Riverside Studios. With Choi playing the patriarch of the family, ‘Appy’, this is a family drama with both humour and pathos in equal measure.

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Cutting the Tightrope, Arcola Theatre

by Luisa De la Concha Montes

Cutting the Tightrope hosts a series of short sketches that are united by the same topic: censorship. It was created as a direct response to the Arts Council England’s now retracted guidance that political statements made by individuals linked to an organisation can cause reputational risks. From the war in Gaza to the rise of authoritarian regimes, each sketch explores the political, social and emotional effects that the lack of freedom of expression may have.

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Journey of a Refugee, Stanley Arts

by Laura Kressly

In the Stanley Arts bar, Kassi, Ali, and Daphne hype up the audience for the arrival of a group of refugees. They’ve organised a welcoming party but plans change when only one person, Zain, arrives. He’s initially unenthusiastic about being the centre of attention. With some coaxing after hiding the main performance space, he shares his journey from Sudan using puppetry, dance, and narration. The promenade family show is inclusively crafted with striking design, but doesn’t romanticise his journey or patronise family audiences.

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Feature | “This show is a process, rather than an outcome” Led by the Wind by Kiki Ye

by Luisa De la Concha Montes

Led by the Wind is a queer story that follows K (Kiki Ye), a young woman from Fuyang, China living in the United Kingdom. She has been convinced by her family back home to go on a blind date with Bryan (He Zhang), who, according to her family’s standards, is the perfect husband material. As their relationship progresses K starts zoning out, sinking deeper into beautiful dreamscapes with Windy (Vivi Wei), a mysterious woman that represents K’s deepest queer desires. In order to unveil the process of writing this piece, and to deconstruct the complexity of K’s character, I caught up with director Kiki Ye.

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OommoO, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

by Laura Kressly

Lula Mebrahtu inhabits multiple worlds: the UK, Eritrea, the present and her ancestors’ past. To construct this show she draws on traditional dance, contemporary British club culture, and Afro-futurism to create a unique dramaturgy that seeks to capture the experience of living across multiple cultures.

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A Little Killing Hurts No One, Brighton Fringe

by Luisa De la Concha Montes

Mustafa Algiyadi’s stand-up comedy show is a breath of fresh air. He knows better than to try to convince his audience that the stereotypes they hold about Arabs are wrong. So instead, he does the unexpected, turning the show around, making his listeners the victims of his jokes.

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