By Cosh Omar
Welcome to Green Lanes in North London where Erol has been working in his dad's café since leaving college - he's a Turkish Cypriot.
His best mate Tom is getting grief from mum Anastasia to get married.
Tom is Greek Cypriot like the rest of the gang - Cos, Babs and Chris. Erol's seeing Maria - another Greek - but she doesn't want a Muslim to father her child.
His dad Remzi and uncle Engin are plotting to get rich back in Northern Cyprus and will sell-up and go, with or without Erol.But, most importantly of all, his two newest friends Abdulla and Kyizer have been helping him become a ‘real' Muslim and join them in the holy fight to establish The Islamic State.
Erol is now on a path that may change the world - and no one told him that living down Green Lanes would be so complicated.
This play contains strong language.Theatre Royal Stratford East is proud to present the premier of The Battle of Green Lanes, a dangerous new play by first time writer Cosh Omar.
It launches the opening season of work by the theatre's new Artistic Director Kerry Michael.
WHAT THE PRESS SAID:
"Few playwrights make their debut with a work topical enough to get them on the international news. Cosh Omar has managed it. His drama ... is so up-to-date that Al-Jazeera rolled up to cover the opening night." Evening Standard
"Cosh Omar's first play ... presents a microcosm of the modern world in conflict. It's also a snapshot of immigrant life in Britain." The Times
"... incendiary new play by Cosh Omar." Daily Mail
"This impressive production featuring very strong street language marks Kerry Michael's directorial debut as the new artistic director of Stratford's Theatre Royal." Daily Mail
"At Stratford East ... audiences have been getting down and dirty with plays since the days of Joan Littlewood. It's salutary to experience such a direct connection with this story of Greek and Turkish Cypriots and their British-born offspring in north London." Financial Times
"The play certainly annexes new theatrical territory." The Guardian
"The whole thing carries the unmistakable whiff of authenticity and makes for a fantastic statement of intent about the kind of voices the Theatre Royal wants to hear from over the coming years." The Telegraph
