Four of London’s finest emerging writers have been sent to Turkey-inspired Suleymaniye Mosque Hackney, to discover it as a space and as a community. By weaving together their unusual personal stories, Where We Areis a compelling and honest portrait of a unique community of people collected under one roof.

Written by Danusia Samal, Najaf Zahra Hussain, Jasmin Mandi-Ghomi, and Humaira Iqbal, and directed by Henry C Krempels, the play centres on four women walking into the mosque at the same time. Each has their own story, their lives intertwining in this single moment as they make the mosque “their space”, says actress Heather Lewis who plays Amina.

Fellow actress Janise Sadik, who plays Esme, describes the play as “a massive eyeopener” not just because of the way it illuminates life inside the building, but also how it highlights the individuals who help shape this communal space.

Of Turkish Cypriot heritage, actress Nalân Burgess says ultimately the play is a reminder that, “Women are women. Whether they are Muslim, whether they are Catholic, whether they are Christian, whatever they are, we are all people and we are all human beings.”

Where We Are: The Mosque kicks off Arcola Participation’s Festival, Creative/Disruption 19, an exciting new experiment in storytelling. See the full line-up of shows and special events here, which runs from 25 February until 6 April 2019.

Theatre Details

Title: Where We Are: The Mosque

Dates: 25 to 27 February 2019

Venue: Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, Dalston, London E8 3DL

Admission information: tickets are priced £15 (£12 concs). Or purchase tickets for three #CD19 shows for £30

Tickets: buy online from the Arcola website