Harajuku Girls

I don't know a girl who hasn't been groped on a train. There's always someone trying to cop a feel. Might as well get paid for it.

On Jingu Bridge in Tokyo, teenage girls dress in cosplay outfits for fun, fashion, and the fantasy of being someone else, but for Mari, Keiko and Yumi, their schooldays are over...

In a race to escape from overbearing parents, stifling dead-end jobs and economic deprivation, they find their way to Kabukicho, a district of panty shops, love hotels and image clubs, where every aspect of the body and soul can be bought and sold. Only they can decide how far they're willing to go.

As the three young women grow up and apart, they tread a dangerously fine line between empowerment and victimhood as they struggle to pursue their dreams, despite the obstacles that society and tradition put in their way.

A fascinating and ambitious play about adolescence, independence and sexuality set in the colourful, fascinating world of Japanese cosplay and style,Harajuku Girls premiered at the Finborough Theatre, London, in February 2015.

Francis Turnly is a playwright, radio dramatist and screenwriter. His stage plays have been produced at numerous theatres including the Birmingham Rep (A Samurai in Soho), Courtyard Theatre, Jackson's Lane and Watford Palace and his work included on schemes such as the National Theatre's Directors Week, Moonstone, and "the 50" (collaboration between BBC Drama and Royal Court). He has written several afternoon plays including the original detective dramaHinterland for BBC Radio 4. In 2014 Francis was awarded the Channel 4 Playwright in Residence, joining the Tricycle Theatre.