Drama on 3: The Al-Hamlet Summit

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Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics

Drama on 3: Inspired by Hamlet: The Al-Hamlet Summit

Inspired by Hamlet: The Al-Hamlet Summit

BBC Radio 3 - Drama on 3, Inspired by Hamlet: The Al-Hamlet Summit

Powerful reimagining of Shakespeare's Hamlet, set in a modern Arab state.

Powerful reimagining of Shakespeare's Hamlet, set in a modern Arab state, by Kuwaiti-British writer Sulayman Al-Bassam.

A new production of Kuwaiti-British writer Sulayman Al-Bassam’s savagely satirical reimagining of Hamlet. 

Shakespeare’s story of a reluctant revolutionary pitted against a corrupt authoritarian regime is transplanted from Denmark to a modern Arab state in trouble. There’s an enemy on the border, a crumbling dictatorship and civil war in the air…   

First performed at the Edinburgh Festival in the wake of 9/11, the play won awards both there and in Cairo. 

Hamlet .... Tommy Sim’aan
Gertrude .... Sirine Saba
Claudius .... Kevork Malikyan
Polonius .... Paul Chahidi
Ophelia .... Sulin Hasso
Laertes .... Zed Josef
Arms Dealer .... Ewan Bailey
Fortinbras .... Samuel James

Production co-ordination by Gaelan Davis-Connolly
Technical production by Ali Craig, Keith Graham and Peter Ringrose
Written by Sulayman al-Bassam
Directed by Abigail le Fleming

A BBC Audio Production for Radio 3

Sulayman Al-Bassam, playwright and director, is widely recognised as one of the world's leading contemporary Arab theatre makers. Al Bassam's work explores themes of identity, war and individual sovereignty often set against the backdrop of civilizational overlap and tension between the Arab-Islamic world and the West. Collaborating with multinational performers and creative teams, Al-Bassam's productions are characterised by a radical approach to text and provocative combinations of content and form. Writing in English and directing in Arabic, English, French and German, Al-Bassam’s work has been presented by leading international venues including Brooklyn Academy of Music, Tokyo International Festival, Sydney Festival and the Edinburgh Festival.

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

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