Ahead of his first show at the Battersea Arts Centre as the star of Adam, Adam Kashmiry spoke to the Wandsworth Guardian. The play is about a young Egyptian trans man's journey. The amazing story has added poignancy and resonance as Adam Kashmiry plays himself, and it’s coming to BAC. The first show is today (September 18) and will run until Saturday, September 29.
 
Its 2017 run in Edinburgh attracted a huge amount of praise and inspired the Sit Up Awards – two new awards set up by David Graham which aim to help productions achieve a greater social impact.

The play is inspired by Mr Kashmiry's own life experience as a Trans Egyptian man. He said: "I have always known I was a boy, I just didn’t have the vocabulary for my feelings - I thought I was insane. I came across the term Transsexual when I was 18 years old. 

"It is really hard for LGB people in Egypt but almost impossible for trans people to survive as who they truly are, because as far as everyone is concerned Transsexuals don’t exist. No one knows there is even such a thing and they aren’t very open when you tell them."

The play was first picked up by Cora Bissett when Mr Kashmiry took part in a community theatre collaboration in Glasgow. She was 'deeply touched' by his story but it was only part of the story. Cora's proposal for production was accepted two years later. Mr Kasmiry described the amazing reception it has received so since he said: "People are so kind it's awesome.

"I really couldn’t believe it was all happening. I think it started to feel quite real when I became one of the performers. I was like “Oh yeah, this is happening”. Before auditioning, everything was happening away from my radar but when I took part, I definitely realised just how awesome it is to be one of the faces used to represent the Trans community. All in all, it’s been a very humbling experience.

He said he is excited to be playing at the Battersea Arts Theatre. "It is such a pleasure knowing Adam is a part of the Grand Hall reopening season. I certainly can’t wait until we come down. I have never been to BAC before, but it was described as gorgeous by many people so I can’t wait to see it," Mr Kashmiry added.