Yusra Warsama | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 July 1985[1] Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
| Occupations | Writer, Director, Actress |
| Years active | 2011–present |
Yusra Warsama (born 9 July 1985) is a British playwright, theatre director, and stage, film and television actress.
Early and personal life
[edit]Warsama was born in the United Arab Emirates to a Somalian Islamic family displaced by the civil war in the country. As a young child her family moved from Abu Dhabi to England. She has a younger sister. She studied for a degree in criminology and sociology. She became a mother living in Manchester in her early twenties.[2][3]
Career
[edit]Stage
[edit]She became involved with the Contact Theatre in Manchester whilst a student. In 2015, she appeared at the Donmar Warehouse in James Graham's play The Vote, appearing alongside Judi Dench, amongst others. That year, a play she wrote based on female experience of genital mutilation, Rites, toured Great Britain.[2][3]
In 2023, she wrote and directed Of All the Beautiful Things in the World a free-form adaptation of Federico García Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba which moved the setting from 20th century Andalusia, Spain to 21st century Moss Side in Manchester.[4][5]
She was a writer on the triple-bill of short plays Everywhere alongside Magero, and Anyebe Godwin, with her short play Gestation; the three plays united in their exploration of similar socio-political themes such as race and class, as well as gender-based prejudice and discrimination, and toured in 2025.[6]
Film and television
[edit]She could be seen in Call the Midwife on BBC One in 2017, playing a Somali woman who underwent a traumatic childbirth after suffering genital mutilation as a child.[7] In 2019, she joined the cast for the second series of the Stephen King supernatural horror adaptation Castle Rock.[8][9]
She appeared in Shane Meadows historical drama The Gallows Pole.[10] She could be seen in Swedish drama series Deliver Me on Netflix.[11]
In 2025, she had a leading role in Nadia Fall's film Brides, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.[12]
Partial filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Vote | Hanni | TV movie |
| 2017 | Call the Midwife | Nadifa | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Cold Feet | Erica | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Castle Rock | Dr. Nadia | 10 episodes |
| 2023 | Unforgotten | Alaya Ali | 1 episode |
| 2023 | The Gallows Pole | Bathsheba | 3 episodes |
| 2024 | Deliver Me | Leila Ali | 5 episodes |
| 2025 | Brides | Khadija | Film |
References
[edit]- ^ "Who Is Yusra Warsama? 4 Things to Know About Deliver Me Netflix Star". The Direct. 26 April 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ a b Adams, Tim (12 April 2015). "'Art gets things out in the open' – young British Muslim artists tell their stories". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ a b "National Theatre of Scotland drama Rites breaks the silence on FGM". Herald Scotland. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Fisher, Mark (31 March 2023). "Of All the Beautiful Things in the World review – Lorca moves to Moss Side". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Thomasson, Martin. "Of All The Beautiful Things In The World: Review". Quays Life. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "Tiata Fahodzi Announces Cast for TRIPLE BILL: EVERYWHERE Tour". Theatre Weekly. 12 March 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "Call the Midwife praised for FGM storyline". BBC News. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Fowlkes, Aurora (October 20, 2019). "Exclusive: Yusra Warsama and Barkhad Abdi Talk 'Castle Rock: Season 2' [Video]". The Knockturnal. Retrieved 26 Sep 2025.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 20, 2019). "'Castle Rock': Lizzy Caplan, Tim Robbins, Garrett Hedlund & Elsie Fisher Among 7 Cast In Season 2 Of Hulu Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 26 Sep 2025.
- ^ "Cast announced for Shane Meadows' new BBC drama The Gallows Pole". BBC News. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "Ardalan Esmaili, Olle Strand, Yasir Hassan and Yusra Warsama Star in Deliver Me". Netflix.com. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ Baughan, Nikki (12 December 2024). "Brides', 'The Thing With Feathers', 'Rabbit Trap' among UK films heading to Sundance 2025". Screen Daily. Retrieved 26 September 2025.