during her studies, syal joined the stephen joseph studio, acting and latterly writing stage plays. on graduation, she had secured a place to study for an ma in drama and psychotherapy at the university of leeds, and then to study for a pgce to teach. however, she had also co-written the one-woman play "one of us" with jackie shapiro, in which syal performed all fifteen parts, about a west midlands-born ethnic indian girl who ran away from home to become an actress. first performed at the stephen joseph studio, she then performed it at the national student drama festival where it won a prize to perform at the edinburgh international festival, where it also won a prize. as a result, a director from the royal court theatre contacted syal, and asked her to perform in a play at the royal court on a three-year contract.