‘I’m like the best version of brown. I’m not even into Pakistanis and I’d probably hook up with myself.’
Zafar flees homophobic persecution in Pakistan to seek asylum in the UK. Londoner Bilal (or Billy as he prefers to be known) is ground down by years of Grindr and the complexity of being a brown gay man. Their worlds are about to change forever.
Moving through casual hook-ups to the UK’s hostile environment, Waleed Akhtar’s sharp-witted and devastating new play charts the parallel lives of two gay Pakistani men. This story of who wins in the luck of life’s draw is a new Bush Theatre commission.
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The P Word Pre-Show Information
09 September - 22 OctoberFrom £12
17, 24 September and 1, 8, 15, 22 OctoberFrom £12
21, 28 September and 5, 12, 19 OctoberFrom £12
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Sat 24 Sept at 2.30pm & Thurs 13 Oct at 7.30pm
Thurs 29 Sept at 7.30pm & Sat 8 Oct at 2.30pm
Sat 1 Oct at 2.30pm & Thur 6 Oct at 7.30pm
Sat 1 Oct at 1.30pm & Thur 6 Oct at 6.30pm
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Anthony Simpson-Pike is a director, dramaturg and writer whose work has been staged in theatres including The Gate, The Young Vic and The Royal Court. He is currently Associate Director at The Yard Theatre, was previously the resident director at Theatre Peckham and associate director at The Gate Theatre. Anthony is also a facilitator, working with young people and communities, having worked at The Gate, The Royal Court, The Young Vic and The Globe, and National Theatre in this capacity.
In addition to theatre, Anthony has worked with Tamasha Theatre company to make audio dramas including collaborations with the National Archives on projects such as Loyalty & Dissent and Once British, Always British and enjoys working across different media including film, having worked on ear for eye by debbie tucker green for BBC Films and BFI. He is passionate about international work having received a British Council bursary to visit the Informal European Theatre Meeting in Brussels, as well as being selected by the British Council to attend DirectorsLab North in Toronto. In 2019, he was invited to be a visiting guest artist for the Banff Playwrights Lab. He is also working on the international project for the Royal Court in Jamaica and Barbados.
Recent directorial work includes The Ridiculous Darkness by Wolfram Lotz at The Gate, which received 5-star reviews, “stunning and subversive” (The Stage), “you’d be sorely pressed to find anything more riveting or stupendous” (WhatsOnStage).
Waleed is a writer and actor. He was a Michael Grandage Company Futures bursary winner in 2021. His most recent work includes Kabul Goes Pop (Brixton House / Hightide / Colchester Mercury – UK Tour) and a new commission from Audible as part of the Emerging Playwrights scheme. He created Sholay On The Big Screen supported by The Bush and I Don’t Know What To Do at the Vault Festival 2020 (Evening Standard Pick of the Fest). His short film Lost Paradise was produced by UK Film Council, and he has contributed material for BBC Radio 4’s Sketchtopia and Newsjack and BBC3’s Famalam. As an actor his credits include Cruella, Salmon Fishing In The Yemen and The Great.
