Hannah Khalil

Hakawati /hak?'w??ti/. Noun: Storyteller. From the Arabic terms 'hekaye' meaning story and 'haki' meaning to talk. A tyrant revenges his wife's infidelity by wedding, bedding and beheading a new bride every day. Years later, only five brides-in-waiting remain. These women are unapologetic, and united in their fight to keep themselves – and the whole of womankind – alive. They've got other ideas for their future, and it starts with a story . . . This fearless new play, a co-production with Tamasha, is written by Globe Resident Writer Hannah Khalil. This edition is published to coincide with the world premiere at the Globe Theatre, London, in December 2022.

The Women of the Arabian Nights

HAKAWATIS

Chris White

Friendship makes us fresh. And doth beget new courage in our breasts. A new play for young people and schools, created from Shakespeare's works. In this wood of words, a band of newcomers arrive to witness banishments, storms, unhappy endings, reunions, and murder most foul... and try to make sense of it all. This unique and thoughtful adaptation for young performers of several of Shakespeare's works is co-written by director Chris White and award-winning playwright Hannah Khalil, in honour of the 400th anniversary of the First Folio this year. The Wood of Words was created as part of the Associate Schools Programme (the RSC's long term partnership programme with schools and theatre partners). This edition was published to coincide with the Playmaking Festival at the RSC, in July 2023.

In Every Leaf

The Wood of Words

'Who knows yet But from this Lady may proceed a gem To lighten all this isle' You know the story: a King who turns his country upside down to try and secure a male heir. But it's never been told this way before. A Queen fights for justice. A Lady provokes reformation. But in the absence of a son, can a Princess change the future? See the story of Henry VIII from a female perspective: this exploration of love, lineage and power by Shakespeare's Globe Writer in Residence (2022) Hannah Khalil unfolds in a new way.

The Life of King Henry VIII: All is True

What are we doing then? Come on, lets go – all of us, lets tell everyone in the street, its too late we've lost, all the years of hardship, being murdered, imprisoned, having your homes taken, your jobs, your fields, your olives, your ability to move from one place to another – everything you have endured has been for nothing. They've won. So let's just leave it to them, disappear. It's what they want. You are doing what they want. You are an educated young Palestinian man. We need you here. Stay. Scenes from 68* Years is a selection of intertwined vignettes telling the story of ordinary Palestinians at a very human level with mischievous humour. It offers snapshots of the routine of life in the shadow of occupation: we look into an Israeli household with a rebellious pro-Palestinian teenager, join a tediously long queue at an Israeli check point, and get swept into an absurd act of civil disobedience by Palestinian civilians in a desperate attempt to get worldwide media attention. Scenes from 68* Years was selected from 100 scripts by the Arcola Theatre and the play received its world premiere at the Arcola Theatre on 5 April 2016 in a production by Sandpit Arts.

Scenes from 68* Years

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

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

Hannah Khalil: Plays of Arabic Heritage

Mojisola Adebayo

Amy Ng

Nominated for Outstanding Drama Education Resource at the 2024 Music & Drama Education Awards A first-of-its-kind anthology, Beyond The Canon's Plays for Young Activists combines plays, toolkits, and an online guide to empower young people into activism. With award-winning plays from the UK's most revolutionary female writers of colour, as well as bespoke multimedia learning guides, this collection offers young global activists aged 16+, as well as teachers and creatives at any level, the opportunity to diversify their education and enhance their understanding of politically driven plays, world politics and social justice. Unique in how it amplifies these selected award-winning plays by incorporating learning guides that accommodate different learning styles (be they visual, auditory, reading/writing and kinaesthetic), Beyond The Canon dares readers to take a deeper dive into the world of the play, be inspired by the themes and provocations and use the anthology to evolve into the ultimate activist. The plays include: Muhammad Ali and Me by Mojisola Adebayo A Museum in Baghdad by Hannah Khalil Acceptance by Amy Ng With resources like top tips on creating a safe space, practical drama challenges and games, interviews with the writers, research guides and activism test sheets, Beyond The Canon's Plays for Young Activists will spark the imagination of any and all readers, likely inspiring the next Mojisola Adebayo, Hannah Khalil and Amy Ng.

Three Plays by Women from the Global Majority

Beyond The Canon’s Plays for Young Activists

I want to know what the other trees know Go where the other trees go Where do they go? Writer Hannah Khalil collaborates with Shakespeare's Globe in London in this magical re-imagining and re-wilding of Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale The Fir Tree. Written for just four actors this inventive and dynamic adaptation harnesses all of the joy of the Christmas season and reminds us that we can all make a difference in taking care of our planet. Music, song and storytelling combine in this accessible and enchanting adaptation that is suitable for families and young people to perform and read together in a story of hope. This edition was published to coincide with the premiere at the Globe Theatre, London, in December 2021.

The Fir Tree

Morna Pearson

Vlad Butucea

Can you ever really trust a machine? It is the near future. A couple are struggling to conceive, but fortunately their company has the perfect solution. A woman waits in a VR metaverse to do homework with her young daughter. In a care home staffed by advanced AIs, a woman struggles to make a connection with her android carer. Interference is a trilogy of near-future plays. Staged in an empty office block transformed with vivid projection and atmospheric soundscapes. It asks the question: will technology interfere with what we really need from each other? This edition was published to coincide with National Theatre of Scotland's 2019 production.

Interference

I'm his mother. A mother knows things - feels them. When her child isn't well. Isn't happy. The kitchen of a suburban house. A mother and daughter raise a child in the most normal way possible following the departure of a family member. Tensions rise as the pair skirt around issues that underpin their co-dependency, proving that what goes on inside a relationship is never clear to the people outside. This searing new play by award-winning writer Hannah Khalil is published in Methuen Drama's Lost Plays series, celebrating new plays that had productions postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak and the global shutdown of theatre spaces.

Sleepwalking

I haven't hurt anyone, killed, raped, murdered - I just ran away - came here to be safe. But I'm locked up. I just - I can't believe this is England. They have run away from unimaginable horrors looking only for safety. But, imprisoned together at Yarl's Wood Dentention Centre, these women are stuck in a limbo that offers them exactly the opposite. Based on verbatim interviews from current and former detainees, The Scar Test takes you inside one of England's migrant detention centres, exposing the conditions the inmates must endure whilst awaiting a decision on their fate. Told with compassion, Hannah Khalil's play throws a spotlight on the harrowing ordeals of the female migrants seeking refuge in Britain and the obstacles they face in the process. Published to coincide with its 2017 London and regional tour, The Scar Test originally debuted in 2015 with Untold Arts company.

The Scar Test

Lucy Prebble

Inua Ellams

Tanika Gupta

Vinay Patel

Philip Ridley

Simon Stephens

Tim Crouch

Alistair McDowall

Zoe Cooper

Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig

Chris Thorpe

Edward Bond

James Graham

Sudha Bhuchar

Laura Wade

Christopher Shinn

Anne Washburn

Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti

Morgan Lloyd Malcolm

Theatre has a complex history of responding to crises, long before they happen. Through stage plays, contemporary challenges can be presented, explored and even foreshadowed in ways that help audiences understand the world around them. Since the theatre of the Greeks, audiences have turned to live theatre in order to find answers in uncertain political, social and economic times, and through this unique collection questions about This anthology brings together a collection of 20 scenes from 20 playwrights that each respond to the world in crisis. Twenty of the world's most prolific playwrights were asked to select one scene from across their published work that speaks to the current world situation in 2020. As COVID-19 continues to challenge every aspect of global life, contemporary theatre has long predicted a world on the edge. Through these 20 scenes from plays spanning from 1980 to 2020, we see how theatre and art has the capacity to respond, comment on and grapple with global challenges that in turn speak to the current time in which we are living. Each scene, chosen by the writer, is prefaced by an interview in which they discuss their process, their reason for selection and how their work reflects both the past and the present. From the political plays of Lucy Prebble and James Graham to the polemics of Philip Ridley and Tim Crouch. From bold works by Inua Ellams, Morgan Lloyd Malcom and Tanika Gupta to the social relevance of Hannah Khalil, Zoe Cooper and Simon Stephens this anthology looks at theatre in the present and asks the question: “how can theatre respond to a world in crisis?” The collection is prefaced by an introduction from Edward Bond, one of contemporary theatre's most prolific dramatists.

20 Scenes for the Stage in Troubled Times

Theatre in Times of Crisis

This is about my responsibility. Doing what is right. Being where I'm needed. I've started a job and I must finish it. I owe it to the people of Iraq. In 1926, the nation of Iraq is in its infancy, and British archaeologist Gertrude Bell is founding a museum in Baghdad. In 2006, Ghalia Hussein is attempting to reopen the museum after looting during the war. Decades apart, these two women share the same goals: to create a fresh sense of unity and nationhood, to make the world anew through the museum and its treasures. But in such unstable times, questions remain. Who is the museum for? Whose culture are we preserving? And why does it matter when people are dying? A story of treasured history, desperate choices and the remarkable Gertrude Bell. This edition of Hannah Khalil's epic new play was published to coincide with the world premiere at the RSC's The Other Place in 2019.

Hannah Khalil

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