Yusuf and the Whale

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Yusuf is a dreamer, and a rubbish fisherman. And his life’s about to change.

Yusuf is a dreamer, and a rubbish fisherman. And his life’s about to change. A playful tale of hope, dreams and whales. Starring Bilal Hasna.

Yemen. 2023. In one of the poorest countries in the world, with civil war raging, life isn’t exactly easy, and most days the fishermen return with barely enough to live off, let alone to sell. 

But fisherman’s son Yusuf is an eternal optimist, and dreamer, who keeps the community’s spirits high with tales of whales and his dreams of the Gulf’s glorious past. Plus, he’s secretly in love with his best friend. But when disaster strikes, and Yusuf’s optimism is tested to the limit, he ends up at sea in the strangest of scenarios.

A heart-warming tale of faith, hope and rizq (the Islamic concept that Allah is responsible for all sustenance provided to us).

CAST
Yusuf ..... Bilal Hasna
Zulaikha ..... Danusia Samal
Fatima ..... Sirine Saba
Khaled ..... Stewart Scudamore
Abdo ..... Fayez Bakhsh
Nabil/Mahdi ..... Yassine Mkhichen

Written by maatin
Directed by Anne Isger
Sound by Pete Ringrose and Ali Craig
A BBC Audio Production

An EcoAudio certified production

About the writer:
maatin is a London-based playwright who focuses on Muslim storytelling. In 2023, maatin's play Duck was performed at the Arcola, following a run at Jermyn Street Theatre. His play Friday at the masjid was selected for the RSC 37 Plays project, and longlisted for the The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2022 and the Soho Theatre’s Verity Bargate Award 2022. Previously, his work was nominated for the Edinburgh TV Festival’s New Voice Awards 2021 and longlisted for BBC Comedy Room 2020. He was selected for the Hampstead Theatre’s INSPIRE Programme 2020/21.

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