International producer and actor Duru Agirbas aims to build a cultural bridge between Turkish and British society with Gelin, exploring gender roles and family dynamics today

Gelin will premiere at Canal Café Theatre in London, 31 January – 1 February 2026

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‘Gelin’ (meaning Bride, in Turkish) is a hilariously chaotic, charming and honest new play exploring the complexities women face across cultures, from family expectations to the fragile but powerful bonds of female friendships.

Gelin’s all-female creative team reimagine İbrahim Şinasi’s 1859 comedy, an ironic critique of arranged marriage practices, updating the setting to contemporary London. Giving a voice to the unheard female characters in ‘Şair Evlenmesi’ (‘The Wedding of a Poet’) in a professional production for the first time, the international cast reflect the experiences of London’s substantial diaspora population.

Themes from Şinasi’s piece, such as generational clashes, gender norms, cultural expectations and matchmaking customs, find a new resonance more than 160 years later, in a fresh script which reframes the action with today’s pop culture, humour and digital-first relationships.

When her overbearing mother arranges a marriage she doesn’t want, Aylin sends her best friend in her place – only for it to backfire when her future husband falls for the imposter. Gelin asks whether a woman can be the ‘mükemmel gelin’ – the perfect bride – without lying about herself to make everyone happy.

London-based Turkish actor, director and creative producer Duru Agirbas co-produces and performs in Gelin, bringing together a team of theatremakers from Turkey, UK, Portugal, Brazil and China. Agirbas has developed the play in collaboration with emerging writer Estelle Warner and director Erica Rosa Lima. The cast includes Gunes Soysal playing the protagonist Aylin, Elif Gulalp in the role of Aylin’s British best friend Yaz, Duru Agirbas as Aylin’s overbearing mother Sevim, and Pedro Millan Duke as the prospective groom Emre.

Co-producer and performer Duru Agirbas says: “I want to build a stronger bridge between Turkish culture and life in Britain today. Watching Gelin should feel and sound like you’re in a real Turkish household with London on your doorstep. There is a huge diaspora community here in London, and drawing on this tapestry of cultures offers a viewpoint familiar to many but rarely seen on UK stages. Theatre for me means somewhere I can create safe spaces for telling Turkish stories, and provide opportunities for young and international artists.”

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Cast and creative team in rehearsals for Gelin at Arcola Theatre. Photograph by Cinar Unal

Echoing the intention of Şinasi’s original play, Gelin addresses common misconceptions around arranged marriages, which still take place across Turkey and within many diaspora communities in the UK today. Yet Agirbas and her creative team dig deeper with their adaptation, exploring generational differences and clashes, as well as the strength of female friendships, and the empowerment of women who assert their independence and find their own ways to navigate social pressures.

The production’s innovative approach blends Turkish and British theatrical traditions. Şair Evlenmesi is widely considered to be the first original play in Turkish, published in a time of modernisation during the Ottoman Empire but never performed during the playwright’s lifetime due to fear of religious, political or public response. This rebellious edge combined with humour is reflected in the influence of contemporary British female comics and theatremakers, including Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s ‘Fleabag’, and the Turkish tragic comedy play ‘You Are More Beautiful Than İstanbul’ which is told by women from three generations.

As Duru Agirbas observes: “Like many Turkish people, I read the play growing up. In many ways it’s a timeless story. Dramatic, funny, and I recognised the traps that still exist in today’s dating world like hiding behind digital personas, and the subtle pressures on women who remain unmarried past a certain age.”

Duru Agirbas trained professionally at University of the Arts London, receiving First Class Honours in BA Acting and Performance. As a director, actor and producer, Agirbas combines physical theatre and devised performance with immersive audience engagement. Professional credits include productions at New Wimbledon Theatre, V&A South Kensington, Theatre Peckham, and Lauderdale House and at venues including Duru Theatre and DOT Theatre in Istanbul. At the heart of Agirbas’ work is promoting dialogue between cultures; she incorporates UK and Turkish theatre disciplines through contemporary storytelling, innovative performance techniques while developing sustainable collaboration models across diverse, global artistic communities.

Gelin runs at Westminster’s Canal Café Theatre on Saturday 31 January and Sunday 1 February 2026. Tickets start at £8 and are available via canalcafetheatre.com