Sabrina Mahfouz on celebrating the Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary.

The British-Egyptian playwright Sabrina Mahfouz is speaking with infectious excitement about London. She smiles as she talks about its creativity and culture – both of which have shaped her work and will do so once again, as she has been chosen to write the play for the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary. You Are Here is a one-off show taking place on 3 May that reimagines youth movements since 1951.

FACT was invited to a conference with its creators – Danny Boyle, Gareth Pugh, Paulette Randall, and Natasha Chivers – and Sabrina opened up about storytelling, success and, of course, the Southbank Centre.

Behind the Scenes

Sabrina was born in London and spent her childhood between Cairo and London. Her mother worked as a secretary, while her father managed restaurants. Creativity runs in her family: her great-grandfather was a poet in Egypt and a friend of Nobel Prize-winning writer Naguib Mahfouz. She studied English Literature and Classics at King’s College London before joining the Civil Service Fast Stream programme and beginning a career in the Ministry of Defence.

One of the performers who had the greatest impact on her was Laura Dockrill, whom she saw at a free poetry show at the Southbank Centre. She recalls: “She was from Brixton. She had a South London accent. That moment made me realise I wanted to try storytelling on stage. I’d always written stories, but I had never spoken them aloud before. It was one of those simple but pivotal moments – you don’t fully grasp what’s possible until you see it.”

The Southbank Centre played a crucial role in her career change. She explains: “When I was younger, it was about having a space in central London that was welcoming. Young people often feel unwelcome in cultural spaces. You could come, play music, dance, rehearse, set up a collective, discuss what your collective would do, and actually do it at the Southbank. Space is such a commodity and increasingly hard to find, so having somewhere you could sit without spending a fortune was valuable. The Southbank provided that for me then, and it still does now.”

From Civil Service to Centre Stage

Sabrina swapped her nine-to-five office job for the thrill of the stage. In 2010, her first play, That Boy, was performed at Soho Theatre in London. She has never shied away from tackling challenging topics: she wrote and performed her cross-genre show A History of Water in the Middle East at the Royal Court Theatre; adapted Malorie Blackman’s novel Noughts and Crosses, which imagines a society where racial roles are reversed; and wrote Dry Ice, a story about a stripper, which went on to be directed by David Schwimmer.

Over the years, she has explored a range of art forms, from poetry to screenwriting. She co-founded the Critics of Colour Collective and launched the Great Wash Workshops to help working-class writers secure funding. She has also moved into publishing, editing The Things I Would Tell You: British Muslim Women Write and contributing to the best-selling anthology The Good Immigrant.

How does she define the role of a playwright? Is it to tell the truth, reflect society, or simply entertain? She explains: “When I first started, I wanted to document certain truths and lives that were less represented, and bring stories from the margins into a fictionalised world where they could occupy space. Sometimes entertainment takes precedence, but it’s always underpinned by a desire to document the truth of our lives.”

She adds: “Today, inspiration comes from so many people. It’s hard to make lists, but anyone producing work that pushes formal or narrative boundaries excites me. We’re so often constrained by what’s considered acceptable storytelling. Anyone managing to tell a story outside those limits inspires me.”

A Full-Circle Moment

Now, Sabrina’s career has come full circle as she returns to the place that first inspired her: the Southbank Centre. Directed by Danny Boyle and designed by Gareth Pugh, You Are Here promises to be a truly immersive experience. A cast of hundreds will take audiences on a journey through acid, disco, grime, punk and soul, moving from tea dances to the dance floor. And, the show will act as the centrepiece of the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary celebrations.

Danny said: “The Southbank Centre is for everyone, like the NHS – a dose of culture, like a vitamin injection, it lifts you.” Gareth added: “This show is a tribute to the wild, experimental bravery of those who came before us and to those carrying the fire today.”

When discussing what success looks like for Sabrina, especially for such a large-scale project, she is clear that it’s not about awards or sell-out shows. “Success is about legacy: something that continues, inspires others, and sparks new creations. That cycle of inspiration, like what happened when I first saw that performance, is what excites me most,” she concludes. And on that note, her passion for the capital and culture has rubbed off and left us feeling excited.

Where: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX

When: Sunday 3 May 2026

Price: Standard entry is from £39

Contact: www.southbankcentre.co.uk