Alia Bano is a British playwright of

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

origin. A graduate of

Queen Mary, University of London , mottoeng = With united powers , established = 1785 – The London Hospital Medical College1843 – St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College1882 – Westfield College1887 – East London College/Queen Mary College , type = Public researc ...

, she currently works as a schoolteacher in London. Bano is a product of the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

's programme for young playwrights, and her debut play ''Shades'' was staged at the Royal Court in early 2009. The play met with instant acclaim from the critics. Charles Spencer wrote in his four-star review in ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'': ''"Shades turns out to be something both special and unexpected – a Muslim Bridget Jones's Diary".'' ''Shades'' also received strong reviews in the Guardian, the

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

and the International Herald Tribune among others and won Bano the award for Most Promising Playwright in the 2009

Evening Standard Awards The ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the ''Evening Standa ...

. Bano also took part in the Bush Theatre's 2011 project '' Sixty Six Books'' where she wrote a piece based upon a book of the King James Bible.

References

External links

Telegraph review of Shades by Charles Spencer

IHT review of Shades by Matt Wolf

Guardian review by Michael Billington

Evening Standard review by Fiona Mountford

Times review by Dominic Maxwell
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bano, Alia British dramatists and playwrights Living people Year of birth missing (living people)