1968 Margate is a new play currently in development, inspired by the real-life story of my father and late uncle—two North African brothers who secured their work permits from Tangiers before arriving in Britain in the late 1960s. The piece first began during my training at RADA, grew through the VAULT New Writing Programme, and has since received support from Paines Plough theatre company.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of Margate’s seaside and the fading glamour of Billy Smart’s Circus, the play follows the brothers as they navigate the thrills and challenges of life in a new country. When a dramatic fall threatens one brother’s future, their dreams of reinvention clash with the stark realities of labour, identity, and belonging.
Blending tenderness, grit, and moments of surreal circus magic, 1968 Margate revives the much-beloved spirit of British seaside life while exploring themes of migration, masculinity, and survival in a country that is both home and stranger.
It had its first showcase in 2022 at the Pleasance Theatre.
Set under the scorching sun of a Moroccan summer, this bold new coming-of-age play follows Shayma—a London teen caught between tank tops and her womanhood—as she navigates the discomfort of identity, desire, and danger. Raw, darkly funny, and emotionally charged, you can’t wash clean in a dirty shower explores what it means to grow into a woman’s body when the world around you is watching—.
A visceral slice of diasporic teenagehood drenched in tension, tenderness, and truth.
An extract of the play was presented at the Embassy Theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama as part of the MENA/SWANA Celebration in 2024.