Theatre
Who’s really wearing the mask?
A new production at the Ovalhouse explores the multiple layers of meaning behind the story of Amina Arraf, the "Gay Girl in Damascus" who shot to worldwide notoriety in June last year with her revealing blog posts about the situation in Syria.
Read MoreA war of ideas
A complex and intriguing new production at London's The Yard Theatre explores the current situation in Iraq through the framework of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. The results are both bold and chillingly astute, say our editors.
Read MoreRe-Orienting the story
Haleh Hatami, Artistic Associate of Golden Thread Productions, talks to playwright Mona Mansour about her upcoming collaboration with the ReOrient Theatre Festival scheduled to take place in San Francisco this November.
Read MoreThe never-ending cycle of tyranny
Lofti Achour’s interpretation of Macbeth casts ousted Tunisian dictator Ben Ali and his wife Leila into the bloody roles of Lord and Lady Macbeth. The result is a piece of unsettling and searching drama that leaves many questions unanswered about the future of democracy in the Arab world.
Read MoreTelling the women’s stories
A new production by British-Iraqi actress Dina Mousawi seeks to redress the gender bias in telling the stories of ordinary Iraqis who have suffered under the occupation, using her personal experience of returning to Baghdad in winter 2011 as the basis to explore the harsh realities of war.
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