Side-splittingly funny and deeply moving, Insane Asylum Seekers, which explores the complexities of the British-Iraqi refugee experience, opens at Bush Theatre, London on 8 May (Press Night 13 May). Written by Laith Elzubaidi, directed by Olivier Award-nominee Emily Ling Williams (A Playlist for the Revolution), and performed by Tommy Sim’aan, this is the world premiere production of the 2023 Tony Craze Award-winner.
“At 27, my dad had escaped multiple bloodthirsty dictatorships. I’m 27, I had a panic attack watching the final episode of ‘Succession’.”
Laith is in serious trouble- but he can’t tell you why. He’s spent years keeping a secret, perfecting the art of hiding it.
But now, it’s catching up with him.
And as if that weren’t enough, Laith’s mum won’t stop throwing things at seagulls, and his dad keeps wandering off during life-threatening situations.
Laith’s parents escaped Iraq 30 years ago, which he reckons is the reason he’s in this whole mess to begin with.
Over the course of several years, Laith Elzubaidi has built a large network of Arab creatives through his organisation, the British-Arab Writers Group. An organisation comprising over 200 Arab writers that hosts regular workshops, mixers, and panels, building a community and nurturing exceptional Arab talent.
Bush Theatre is situated in the heart of Arab Britain—home to a vibrant, multi-generational Arab community whose presence has shaped the cultural fabric of the area. With its rich diversity and deep-rooted connections, the neighbourhood is the ideal setting for a project that reflects, explores, and celebrates British Arab identity. Insane Asylum Seekers offers a rare opportunity for meaningful engagement, visibility, and cultural exchange in a community ready to see its stories told on its doorstep.
Laith Elzubaidi is a British-Iraqi playwright and screenwriter. He is also the founder of the British-Arab Writers Group- a collective of over 200 British-Arab writers. Laith’s recent achievements include being selected for the BBC Comedy Collective Supercharged Bursary Scheme, winning Soho Theatre’s annual playwriting competition, the ‘Tony Craze Award’, and being part of the writer’s rooms for BBC Three’s Bad Education reboot and Crongton. He is currently working with multiple production companies, including developing a feature film treatment with Imaginarium Productions. He is also co-writing a feature film with an Emmy-nominated writer and producer; the film centres on a British-Arab community in London as they fight against the gentrification of their area. He is also a part-time producer at the charity Counterpoints, an organisation dedicated to supporting creatives from refugee and migrant backgrounds. He also produces a series of BAFTA Masterclasses exploring the importance of authentic storytelling of refugees on screen and the positive impact of collaboration with creatives who have lived experience of migration, to build narrative power and create social change.
Director Emily Ling Williams trained on the National Theatre Directors Course and the Young Vic Directors Programme. Emily’s credits as a Director include A Playlist For The Revolution (Bush); Sam Wu is NOT Afraid of Ghosts (Polka); More Ghost Stories by Candlelight (Hightide/ Globe); Polko (Roundabout); Wasted (Lyric Hammersmith); The Full Works, The Key Workers Cycle (Almeida); text me when you’re home, 5 Plays (Young Vic); Appropriate; The Sign In Sidney Brustein’s Window (RWCMD); Turbines (Paines Plough/ RWCMD/ Gate). As Assistant/ Associate Director, her credits include A View From The Bridge (Headlong/ Octagon/ CFT/ Rose) The House Of Shades (Almeida); Blood Wedding (Young Vic); The Meeting; The Chalk Garden (CFT); Black Mountain; Out Of Love; How To Be A Kid (Paines Plough/ Theatr Clwyd/ Orange Tree); The Apology; The Island Nation (Arcola).
Tommy Sim’aan plays Laith. His theatre credits include: The Fear of 13 (Donmar); A View from the Bridge (Headlong); The Tempest(RSC); Starcrossed (Arden Entertainment) for which he was nominated for ‘Best Performer in a Play’ at The Stage Debut Awards 2022 and a UK tour of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Tilted Wig Productions). His on-screen credits include Vigil (Series 2) and Doctors (BBC), and The Midwich Cuckoos (Sky). Tommy’s radio and voiceover credits include Tethered, Sabine, The Medici and Two on a Tower (BBC Radio 4); The Al-Hamlet Summit, Words and Music (BBC Radio 3) and the video games Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown; Baldurs Gate 3 and Expeditions: Rome.
Tommy is a multi-disciplined British-Iraqi-Belgian actor who graduated from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2020. He speaks French, Spanish, and Arabic, is a skilled martial artist with strong movement, combat, and sword skills, and a multi-instrumentalist and singer, playing the violin, piano, and guitar.
Get your tickets now: https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/event/insane-asylum-seekers/#book
WRITTEN BY: Nura Arooj
