April 2019 — July 2019
Does My Bomb Look Big In This?
by Nyla Levy, directed by Mingyu LinTamasha and Nyla Levy present
Yasmin Sheikh feels torn in the city she used to call home, but Aisha sees a different London to her best friend. When Yasmin suddenly disappears to Syria, Aisha embarks on a mission to uncover the truth and decide whether there is any hope in Yasmin’s new-found world.
With fierce wit and disarming honesty, DOES MY BOMB LOOK BIG IN THIS? cleverly unveils a human story behind the headlines and questions how close or far we are from multicultural harmony.
First conceived in 2016 after being cast in roles as a ‘jihadi bride’ or ‘terrorist girlfriend’ and generally dissatisfied with the narrative being told, Nyla Levy ran research workshops with school children and interviewed Muslim community leaders as well as terrorism defence solicitor Tasnime Akunjee. The result voices the complexities of the choices made by disaffected youth, their vulnerability, and how the decisions made can change lives, communities and countries forever.
Nyla Levy in The Observer ‘I pieced together what I knew of girls who have gone to Syria’
Supported by:
Amal (a Saïd Foundation programme)
Royal Victoria Hall Foundation
With special thanks to Ben Adler, Mitch Polley, Subi & Simon North, Al & Dags Polley, Ben Bardon, Irvine Naqvi, Fadia Qaraman, Zaynab Zangie, Natalie Abizadeh, and Samir A, for donating via Indiegogo.
Running time: approximately 80 minutes
Age guidance 14+ (contains strong language)
Supported by
Dates
Tara Arts
London, SW1830 Apr — 04 May
Avenue Centre
Luton, LU114 May
Whitefield School, Barnet
London, NW215 May
South Street
Reading RG116 May
Elstree UTC
Borehamwood, WD617 May
Soho Theatre
London, W1D21 May — 08 Jun
The Compton School, North Finchley
London, N1210 Jun
Luton Libraries
Luton, LU111 Jun
Goldaming School
Surrey12 Jun
St James's Church of England High School
Bolton, BL4 9RU13 Jun
London Academy of Excellence
London, E1501 Jul
Chorlton High School
Manchester, M2102 Jul
Bradford Academy
Bradford, BD404 Jul
Jewellery Quarter Academy
Birmingham, B105 Jul
Creative and Technical Team
Writer Nyla Levy
Director Mingyu Lin
Producer (for Tamasha) Debo Adebayo
Design Consultant Moi Tran
Lighting Designer Tanya Stephenson
Sound Designer Conrad Kira
Movement Director Rachael Nanyonjo
Dramaturg Sudha Bhuchar
Design Assistant Erin Guan
Trainee Assistant Director Tian Brown-Sampson
Costume Assistant Ndea Lawrence
Production Stage Manager Miranda Paraskeva
Cast
Halema Hussain
Aisha
Nyla Levy
Yasmin
Eleanor Williams
Morgan / Actor 3

Power of Persuasion
A package of PHSE resources for secondary schools produced by Tamasha, in collaboration with Bloomsbury and sponsored by Amal. It uses the world and characters from DOES MY BOMB LOOK BIG IN THIS? to explore the subject of internet safety.