Hannah Khalil: Plays of Arabic Heritage - Plan D; Scenes from 73 Years; A Negotiation; A Museum in Baghdad;

This is the first ever collection of plays by Palestinian-Irish playwright Hannah Khalil; the first woman of Arab heritage to have a main-stage play at the RSC. It encompasses a decade's worth of plays exploring her Arab heritage, drawing on family histories as well as significant events in the Arab World. They were all written during a period that included the end of the war in Iraq, the intensification of the occupation of Palestine and the birth and disillusion of the so called Arab Spring.

The plays included are set in both a historical and modern context. They include a feminist take on 1001 nights and the Scheherazade story; an exploration of Gertrude Bell, the Museum in Baghdad and Britain's role in the birth of the Iraq; plus two plays looking at the Palestinian experience, one based on a family living through the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, the other an epic collage that moves in time from 1948 to present day. This anthology also includes a radio play set in Dubai and a monologue about the power and legacy of artefacts.

It's notable that these plays offer a plethora of non-stereotypical roles for actors of Arab heritage. Through the six plays included the reader can trace a variety of approaches to storytelling, a host of memorable characters and some unforgettable stories.

Plays include:

Plan D
Scenes from 73* Years
A Negotiation
Museum in Baghdad
Last of the Pearl Fishers
Hakawatis

List of contents

1. Foreword from Alia Al Zougbi
2. Introduction from Chris White
3. Plan D
4. Scenes from 73* Years
5. A Negotiation
6. Museum in Baghdad
7. Last of the Pearl Fishers
8. Hakawatis

About the author

Hannah Khalil is currently Resident Writer at Shakespeare’s Globe. Henry VIII is part of their 2022 summer season and her critically acclaimed re-telling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Fir Tree which premiered in 2021, will return for their 2022 winter season. Hannah’s other theatre commissions include new work for the RSC, Soho Theatre, The Kiln and Mosaic/Fishamble. Previous work for stage includes A Museum in Baghdad, which opened at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Swan Theatre in 2019 directed by Erica Whyman, Interference for The National Theatre of Scotland, The Scar Test for Soho Theatre and Scenes from 68* Years for the Arcola. Her work is published by Methuen Drama. Hannah has also written numerous radio plays, including The Unwelcome, Last of the Pearl Fishers and The Deportation Room all for BBC Radio 4. Television work includes multiple episodes of the Channel 4 drama Hollyoaks. Her short film, The Record, won the Tommy Vine screenplay award at the Underwire film festival, and went on to be made. It was also selected at London Palestine Film Festival. Hannah was named Heimbold Chair of Irish Studies at Villanova University in 2021 and is a Creative Fellow of the Samuel Beckett Archive for 2021/2022.Chris White is a freelance director and dramaturg specialising in international collaborations, Shakespeare, new writing and projects with young people. As a dramaturg he has led several playwrighting projects for Synergy Theatre Project and worked closely with a number of writers including Hassan Abdulrazzak, Satinder Chohan, Hannah Khalil and Sonya Hale. He has worked for a range of organisations as a script reader including BBC, and co-leads Writer’s Lab for Soho Theatre, developing new plays with some of the best emerging artists in the UK. Chris is an Associate Practitioner for the RSC, directing a number of large scale projects involving young people across the UK in venues ranging from classrooms to large stages to the Houses of Parliament.

Summary

This is the first ever collection of plays by Palestinian-Irish playwright Hannah Khalil; the first woman of Arab heritage to have a main-stage play at the RSC. It encompasses a decade’s worth of plays exploring her Arab heritage, drawing on family histories as well as significant events in the Arab World. They were all written during a period that included the end of the war in Iraq, the intensification of the occupation of Palestine and the birth and disillusion of the so called Arab Spring.

The plays included are set in both a historical and modern context. They include a feminist take on 1001 nights and the Scheherazade story; an exploration of Gertrude Bell, the Museum in Baghdad and Britain’s role in the birth of the Iraq; plus two plays looking at the Palestinian experience, one based on a family living through the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, the other an epic collage that moves in time from 1948 to present day. This anthology also includes a radio play set in Dubai and a monologue about the power and legacy of artefacts.

It’s notable that these plays offer a plethora of non-stereotypical roles for actors of Arab heritage. Through the six plays included the reader can trace a variety of approaches to storytelling, a host of memorable characters and some unforgettable stories.

Plays include:

Plan D
Scenes from 73* Years
A Negotiation
Museum in Baghdad
Last of the Pearl Fishers
Hakawatis

Foreword

The first collection of award-winning playwright Hannah Khalil’s work, drawing together plays exploring Arab characters and experiences across a variety of times and places.

Additional text

This new work by Palestinian/Irish playwright Hannah Khalil confirms her as a dramatist of compelling potential

Product details

• Authors: Hannah Khalil, Khalil Hannah
• Assisted by: Chris White (Editor)
• Publisher: Methuen Drama
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.09.2021
• EAN: 9781350242197
• ISBN: 978-1-350-24219-7
• No. of pages: 296
• Dimensions: 156 mm x 234 mm x 22 mm
• Series: Modern Plays; Methuen Drama Play Collections
• Subjects: Fiction > Poetry, drama; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > English linguistics / literary studies; DRAMA / General, LITERARY CRITICISM / Drama, Literary studies: plays & playwrights, Plays, Playscripts, Literary studies: plays and playwrights