...an instant classic of engaged story-telling.
The actors speak in French, Arabic, English, and bring to the stage a true atmosphere of courtyards, alleys and souks, and the hypnotic, scary enchantment of a rediscovered literary masterpiece.
THE INDEPENDENT
It is an extraordinary enterprise.
THE GUARDIAN
Tim Supple’s outstanding dramatisation. In this he is very much Peter Brook’s successor ... quietly wonderful world class theatre.
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
They are sexy, irreverent, surprising.
THE TELEGRAPH
A majestic feast of erotically charged life that is
both profound and entertaining.
THE HERALD
...a revelatory version of the Arabian Nights,
a far cry indeed from Aladdin or Sinbad the Sailor
WHAT'S ON STAGE
Commissioned by Luminato, Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity
Dramatised and directed by Tim Supple
Stories adapted by Hanan al-Shaykh
Produced by Dash Arts
Erotic, brutal, witty and poetic, One Thousand and One Nights are the never-ending stories told by the young and brilliant Shahrazad under sentence of death to King Shahrayar. Maddened by the discovery of his wife’s orgies, King Shahrayar believes all women are unfaithful and vows to marry a virgin every night and kill her in the morning. To prevent more slaughter Shahrazad spins a web of tales night after night, leaving the King in suspense when morning comes. And so she prolongs her life for another day…
Written in Arabic from tales gathered in India, Persia and across the great Arab empire, these mesmerizing stories tell of the real and the supernatural, of love and marriage, power and punishment, rich and poor, and the endless trials and uncertainties of fate. Set in the thriving cosmopolitan cities of the Islamic world, this production will show the gripping, multi-faceted stories as they really are.
Dramatised and directed by Tim Supple, with stories adapted by the acclaimed Lebanese novelist Hanan al-Shaykh, One Thousand and One Nights comes from the pulsating heart of today’s Arabic speaking world and is performed by actors, musicians and a creative team from Egypt, Tunisia, Syriah, Lebanon, Algeria, Morocco, Paris and London.
One Thousand and One Nights follows Dash Arts’ international sensation the “Indian Dream”, commissioned by the British Council in 2006.
| All enquiries: | roy@royluxford.com www.dasharts.org.uk www.luminato.com |