Long Way Home is a deeply personal and powerful solo performance tracing one woman’s journey from war-torn Tehran to the bright lights of American television. Written and performed by Layla Warren, the show blends humour, storytelling and cultural insight to explore identity, survival and belonging.
Born during the Iran–Iraq War, Layla’s earliest memories are shaped by fear and survival. After fleeing Iran as a child, she grows up in London before eventually pursuing a career in American entertainment. Yet even as she achieves success, the past she tried to escape refuses to stay buried.
Moving between continents and stages of life, the production examines the emotional cost of assimilation and ambition. It asks what it truly means to find home when your identity has been shaped by displacement, and whether safety alone is enough to bring peace.
As her journey unfolds, Layla is forced to confront unresolved trauma and difficult decisions, including stepping away from a career she fought hard to build. The piece reflects on the tension between personal freedom and the lingering weight of history, offering a moving exploration of diaspora experience.
Directed by Sepy Baghaei, Long Way Home is both intimate and far-reaching, capturing the complexity of forging a new identity while carrying the past.
Long Way Home runs at Gilded Balloon (Snug) from 5 – 31 August at 11:40. Tickets are on sale here
