Casting announced for premiere of Meera Syal's Anita and Me

Casting has been announced for Roxana Silbert's upcoming production based on Meera Syal's novel, Anita and Me.

The show opens at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in October 2015 before transferring to Theatre Royal, Stratford East.

Mandeep Dhillon and Jalleh Alizadeh will lead the cast in Tanika Gupta's adaptation.

Press material states: "Anita and Me is a coming-of-age tale that follows Meena (Dhillon), the rebellious teenage daughter of the only Punjabi family in the mining village of Tollington. When she becomes friends with the impossibly feisty Anita (Alizadeh), she thinks she's found her soul mate but her world is turned upside down as she finds herself caught between her two cultures."

The cast also includes: Ayesha Dharker (Daljit) and Ameet Chana (Shyam), Amy Booth-Steel (Mrs Ormerod), Janice Connolly (Mrs Worrall), Joseph Drake (Sam), Kiren Jogi (Aunty Shaila), Megan McCormick (Tracey), Tarek Merchant (Ned), Chris Nayak (Uncle Amman) and Yasmin Wilde (Nanima).

Anita and Me is designed by Bob Bailey with lighting by Chahine Yavroyan, sound by Ben and Max Ringham and movement direction by Ann Yee.

It runs at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 13 until 24 October and will then transfer to Theatre Royal Stratford East from 29 October to 21 November.