TRUE BRITS Set for Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2014

True Brits, the debut play from outstanding young British Asian playwright Vinay Patel, will have its world premiere at the 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

When a violent encounter leads to a whirlwind romance, Rahul is more than willing to be swept into it.

But in the aftermath of 7/7, his world changes in ways he cannot control, drawing him into ever-darker places as he struggles to remain part of a British society that now distrusts him simply for being a British Asian.

Sweeping between the paranoid London of 2005 and the euphoric city of the 2012 Olympics, True Brits is an honest, humorous, hopeful tale about wanting to love and be loved. By your crush. By your friends. By your country.

True Brits is the debut play by Vinay Patel, an exciting new voice of the British Asian community. Vinay has previously been supported by Tamasha, The Bush, Theatre503 and the Brockley Jack, with this production being supported the Arts Council England and was selected for HighTide's Escalator Plays programme.

It is directed by Tanith Lindon, Associate Director of the Brockley Jack Theatre, whose previous Edinburgh Fringe credits include 2009's sell-out show 'The Strong Breast Revolution'.

A play about being British of Asian descent, but not about extremism, terrorism, or conflicting loyalties, True Brits deals instead with coming of age, falling in love, and finding a place in a society that distrusts you simply for the way you look. The result is a sincere and humorous piece that will leave audiences of all backgrounds uplifted.

Speaking about True Brits, Vinay Patel said: "The sparks for this play came whilst I was watching the Team GB football squad during the Olympics. I looked down at my replica shirt, saw that I was wearing a Union Jack and I thought how strange that was since, growing up, I was terrified of it (possibly due to the BNP headquarters being based in my home borough of Bexley). But there it was - in that moment, I felt very British, flag and all.

"Delving into research, I found I wasn't alone here. Polls conducted by the think tank British Future showed that in fact people of Asian descent were more likely to feel British than any other ethnic group, including white British - and British Muslims most of all.

This in spite of the fact that the last ten years have been deeply troubled ones for the Asian community. Growing up in post 7/7 London meant getting used to the idea that the police were going to watch you a little more closely than others.

"The time frames of the story weren't just from my feelings though. The London Bombings and the Olympics were already closely linked. I recall the joy of hearing we'd won the bid - it was the day before 7/7.

"Above all though, I wanted to tell a personal story that touched on notions of belonging but remained entertaining and engaging. I wanted it to revolve around a more everyday experience of growing up, about someone trying to live a normal life, that didn't delve into extremism like so many dramas around the topic. Something that acknowledged and highlighted some of the struggles British Asians have faced in the last decade (including divisions within that diverse grouping) and how that impacts on one conflicted character's mind, but ultimately emerges tentatively hopeful."

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