Hannah Khalil Books

Hakawati 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.

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

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.

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.