'I've spent so much of my life wondering... passing people on the street... and now, yeah... you're here'

When Tom and Samad meet for the first time, they are stunned by the similarities they share. In spite of Tom's adoption and all the years spent apart, the two brothers are joined by an undeniable biological bond.

But as they become closer and their lives entangle, they realise that finding each other comes at a price.

Bijan Sheibani's play The Arrival is a taut family drama about obsession, betrayal and the human need to belong. It premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in November 2019, written and directed by award-winning director Bijan Sheibani.

About the Author
Bijan Sheibani is a freelance theatre, opera and film director, and playwright. As a playwright, his work includes The Cord (Bush Theatre, London, 2024) and The Arrival (Bush Theatre, 2019). As a theatre director, his credits include Till the Stars Come Down (National Theatre), The Brothers Size (Young Vic), Dance Nation (Almeida), Barber Shop Chronicles (National Theatre) and Circle Mirror Transformation (Home Manchester). He was an associate director of the National Theatre from 2010-2015, and artistic director of ATC from 2007-2010. He won the James Menzies-Kitchen Award for Young Directors in 2003 and held the John S Cohen Bursary at the National Theatre Studio from 2003-2004. He was nominated for an Olivier Award in 2010 for Best Director for his production of Our Class, and his production of Gone Too Far! by Bola Agbaje won an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre in 2008. The Brothers Size won Best International Production at the Barcelona Critics Circle Awards 2008 and was nominated for an Olivier Award in the same year. Bijan's production of Nothing for Glyndebourne was nominated for a 2017 Southbank Sky Arts Award for Best Opera. (Author photo by Manuel Harlan)

Reviews

'A gripping, harrowing exploration of family, relationships and what happens when the past collides with the present... debut plays seldom get more assured than this'

* WhatsOnStage *

'Concentrated, unadorned and subtle, Bijan Sheibani's first play twists elegantly like a snake trying to catch its tail... It lands with assurance: here is a play with a long life'

* Observer *



Book Information
ISBN 9781848429079
Author Bijan Sheibani
Format Paperback
Page Count 96
Imprint Nick Hern Books
Publisher Nick Hern Books