Love in a Foreign Land

Thursday 06 Mar 2025

In celebration of International Women’s Day, writer and actor Maria Vigar presents her play, Love in a Foreign Land, exploring the female migrant experience throughout the decades.  

Women have long carried the weight of family, culture, and traditions, often acting as the pillars of their communities. UNESCO has recognized that the intangible cultural heritage of communities is largely upheld by women, but how is this role experienced by immigrant women, often on the margins of society? How does it influence their position and sense of identity in a new land? 

During the Q&A with Clara Arokiasamy OBE, President of ICOMOS, London, the audience will be invited to engage in a deeper exploration of these questions and encouraged to share their own lived experiences.  

Love in a Foreign Land synopsis   

Years ago, Theophana defied her cultural norms and youth to cross the sea in search of her husband – from Nicosia to London, from home to the vast unknown. What followed was a lifetime of migration, driven by a longing for love. If yearning is a feature of youth, even old age finds its own desires, this time for peace and truth. How far would we go for love? 

Years later, frail and housebound, Theophana reflects on her life – revisiting her past choices with waves of euphoria and regret. She wishes she could go back, change everything, and do it all differently. 

The play is written by Maria Vigar and directed by Anastasia Revi.  

Additional information

Maria Vigar

Maria Vigar is a Cypriot Londoner. Trained in Theatre Arts at the Rose Bruford College, she has an MA in Text and Performance, from Kings College London and RADA. She has been writing and performing since 1986. Her plays have been broadcasted on BBC Radio 4 and performed on stage. In 2019 she performed her one-woman show Americana! at the Hellenic Centre.