As a child, British Somali actress and playwright Adna Ahmed often found herself obsessing over comedians. She recalls always doing the same thing whenever she discovered a new comic personality.
"I would go onto their Wikipedia page and read about their life because, in my head, it was like a blueprint of how to be them," Adna tells The New Arab . She would then look at who their parents were or where they went to school. Here she was often disappointed rather than inspired. "It was either their parents also had a Wikipedia page and were hyperlinked or were a comedian or a billionaire," she says. Now this pattern, forged when she was growing up, has become her inspiration for How to be Famous! (when your parents don't have a Wikipedia page) , a new comedy.
The script follows Nala, a young working-class Muslim woman, juggling her day job while determined to make it as a comedy superstar regardless of family opposition and financial pressures. Running from 17-20 June, the play marks Adna's debut as a playwright, drawing on questions she has dealt with throughout her own life. "Since I was six or seven years old, I've always known I wanted to be a writer or actress," she says. "But I also have parents who came here as refugees and sacrificed a lot. My parents didn't get to finish school. So, I wonder, am I being selfish by doing what I want?" she adds. Class and ambition At the centre of How to be Famous! is Nala, a headstrong yet slightly passive character who doesn't tend to question societal norms or believe she has the power to change the trajectory of her own life.
The odds are stacked against her, though, and she must figure out how to navigate her chosen world.
For Adna, that struggle reflects wider conversations about class and who has opportunities in Britain. "If you're working class and you grow up wanting to be successful, people often fall into two camps," she says. "You have people who are incredibly ambitious because they feel like it's their way out. And you have people who feel trapped by circumstance." The play explores how the two mindsets can intersect while also challenging narratives about the UK class system.
Adna speaks about the many barriers that a person of colour often has to overcome to be successful, and how these are often unacknowledged. "Politicians will say meritocracy is a thing, that if you work hard, you will be successful," she says.
"But then ignore all the barriers in place, like getting into a good university or being able to afford internships." Adna explores experiences like this, admitting she recognises aspects of Nala within herself, even though Nala is a fictional character.
She hopes audience members will also see parts of themselves reflected in her made-up Nala. Comedy as a genre Despite tackling 'serious' themes such as privilege and access, Adna highlights that How to be Famous! (when your parents don't have a Wikipedia page) should be considered a comedy first and foremost. "I love comedy. It's my favourite form of storytelling," she shares with The New Arab. As a child, she often watched sitcoms and comedians, citing shows such as Broad City , Chewing Gum , Parks and Recreation , and Veep as standout inspirations. "Comedy lets you explore serious themes without making people feel like they're being lectured," she says.
"You can talk about something political or meaningful while still making people laugh."
Nala is a character who epitomises opposites. Adna describes the protagonist as pop culture, internet-obsessed and overdramatic. "I hope people find her entertaining," she says. "But I also hope that people can relate to the insecurities she has." Beyond the 'Muslim woman' narrative For Adna, representation is something she continually seeks, but not in the way many others hope for or expect. "I think it's really important that Muslim women aren't represented as a monolith," she explains. She believes stories centring Muslim women are often overlooked because of their characters' Muslim identity or because of unrealistic expectations about how their stories should be told. "Because there aren't many opportunities for representation, there's pressure for one story to represent every Muslim woman. But Muslim women are people with many and varied stories. They're flawed. They're different from one another." Rather than centring faith as the play's main element, Adna chooses to show a Muslim woman whose faith is part of her identity but whose ambitions and dreams are paramount. "Sometimes you're just Muslim, and the focus of the story is something completely different," she explains. Growing up in Leicester surrounded by a Muslim community is something Adna feels contributed to the way she thinks about representation. "I see my friends as who they are, as people. Some just happen to be Muslim," she says. The playwright hopes that, going forward, Muslim characters will be portrayed in ways in which their faith doesn't always have to occupy centre stage. Seven years in the making Although this is Adna's debut production, the idea behind the play has been developing behind the scenes for years. "I've had this idea since university," she begins. "Realistically, it's probably been in my mind for around seven years." Her first draft of the play emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic , before she decided to completely rewrite it after attending a Muslim women's writers group run by Side eYe Productions, which is now producing the play. "I think it's on the tenth or eleventh draft," Adna laughs. "I'll probably make changes right up until the show opens." The process of scripting and redrafting has only reinforced her passion for theatre, a form of art she believes offers more opportunities for emerging writers than TV or film. "If you want to make a TV show, you need a commissioner, you need hundreds of thousands of pounds.. But with theatre, theoretically you can pay £100, hire a place and get your friends to come and see a show," she explains. Bringing the play to life Adna hopes her play will leave the audience with more than just a few laughs. "This is my debut play," she says. "I'm worried about technical issues or what people may think or the bits they will laugh at." In essence, she says, the play is about ambition, particularly the ambition of those from working-class backgrounds who aren't often prioritised in mainstream media. "I wrote Nala as being in her late twenties for a reason. I want people to realise it's never too late to pursue their passions," Adna shares. She hopes that audience members are left feeling motivated and hopeful. "You can have a stable job and still follow your dreams," she adds.
"I hope people feel inspired," she continues. "I hope it makes them curious about what it is that they want to go after in their lives." How to be Famous! (when your parents don't have a Wikipedia page) runs from 17-20 June at The Pleasance Theatre in London Zaynah Ahmed is a freelance journalist based in London with an interest in current affairs, women's health disparities and underrepresented voices Follow her on Instagram: @Zaynahreports