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Dateline: 6th September, 2004 Michael Takes Over at Stratford East Kerry Michael will begin his tenure as Artistic Director of Theatre Royal Stratford East on Monday, 16th September.
Kerry takes over from Philip Hedley, who is leaving Theatre Royal after being at the helm for 25 years. He has vowed to uphold Philip’s commitment to develop new talent and is determined to provide a platform for those voices under-represented by the stage up to now.
The first play Kerry will direct after taking over the reins will be The Battle of Green Lanes. Set amongst London’s Cypriot community, it provides an early example of Kerry’s commitment to those unheard voices, as well as reflecting his own Greek Cypriot background.
“It should come as no surprise that my first play is about the Cypriot community, of which I’m extremely proud,” Kerry said. “I’m also committed to taking risks with new authors.”
Written by first-time playwright Cosh Omar, who is of Turkish Cypriot extraction, The Battle of Green Lanes is about Greek and Turkish Cypriots in London. It explores problems surrounding the long-standing enmity between the two communities.
In addition, the play deals with the Turkish Erol’s involvement with Muslim fundamentalism and how the main character gets lured into the fight to establish an Islamic state. The play opens in mid-October, and will run for a month.
“This play should strike a chord with many people in London’s Muslim communities and beyond,” Kerry said. “It deals with some explosive issues. Cosh Omar’s writing reveals a fresh vitality which is rarely found these days.”
Kerry joined Stratford East as Associate Director six years ago, where he directed nine new shows and produced many more. Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
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