Dash Arts’ production of
One Thousand and One Nights
Alf Layla wa-Layla
Commissioned by Luminato, Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity
Dramatised and directed by Tim Supple | Stories adapted by Hanan al- Shaykh
World Premiere: June 2011 | Luminato, Toronto
August 2011 | Edinburgh International Festival
"It is an extraordinary enterprise. By the end of the evening, I was totally converted…moving and durable…" **** Michael Billington, The Guardian
Dramatised and directed by Tim Supple, with stories adapted by the seminal Lebanese novelist Hanan al-Shaykh, and commissioned by the Luminato Festival, Dash Arts present one of the world’s great folk story-cycles.
Written by Arabic writers from tales gathered in India, Persia and across the great Arab Empire, the One Thousand and One Nights are the never-ending stories told by Shahrazad night after night, under sentence of death, to the king Shahrayar who has vowed to marry a virgin every night and kill her in the morning.
The web of tales woven by Shahrazad were exoticised and adapted for children in the West under the title of the Arabian Nights. This production will unearth the true character of the One Thousand and One Nights as it is in the oldest Arabic manuscripts. In turns erotic, brutal, witty, poetic and complex, the tales tell of love and marriage, power and punishment, rich and poor, and the endless trials and uncertainties of fate. The great cities and thriving trade routes of the Islamic world provide the setting for these stories that employ supernatural mystery and intense realism to portray the deep and endless drama of human experience.
Performed and created by actors, musicians and designers drawn entirely from the Arabic speaking world, One Thousand and One Nights follows Dash Arts’ international sensation the “Indian Dream”, commissioned by the British Council in 2006.
A UK and international tour of One Thousand and One Nights is planned in 2013; further details to be announced.
Recent reviews
"Supple’s wonderful production…an instant classic of engaged story telling…a rediscovered literary masterpiece." **** The Independent, Michael Coveney
"Ambitious does not begin to describe it...it is impossible not to warm to these tales. They are sexy, irreverent, surprising, visually arresting." **** Sarah Crompton, The Daily Telegraph
"It is energetically staged, physically expressive and musically exciting, sometimes bawdily amusing. Houda Echouafni is touching as Shahrazad, and Assaad Bouab convincingly brutal as the King and measured as the Caliph Haroun al Rashid. " Libby Purves, The Times
"… yet again his staging is perfect. We are clearly in need of a stereotype-busting image of the culturally-rich Arabic world." The Stage, Lauren Paxman
The music, composed and performed live by five musicians, is a delight. There are standout performances from Assaad Bouab, Houda Echouafni, Ramzi Choukair and Nanda Mohammad."**** Veronica Lee, The Sunday Telegraph
"Tim Supple’s outstanding dramatisation…he is very much Peter Brook’s successor…a fantastic tree of ever-branching stories…the topicality of this – from Arab Spring to post-riot Britain – does not need spelling out…this was quietly wonderful, world class theatre." ***** Kate Bassett, Independent on Sunday
Read Benedict Nightingale’s preview in The Times...
For Production and Touring information for One Thousand and One Nights please contact Luxford Productions roy@royluxford.com
Media
Trailer for the Luminato Festival, June 2011
Edinburgh Festival backstage 2011 - A Journey into One Thousand and One Nights
One Thousand and One Nights Playtext
We have a limited number of One Thousand And One Nights playtexts for sale; this exclusive edition contains all the dramatised stories from Dash Arts’ acclaimed 2011 production, along with introductions from the author Hanan al-Shaykh, and the dramatist and director Tim Supple. It also features dramatisations of additional stories that were not included in the performed version.
Price: £12 inc. postage+packaging (UK delivery only).
If you would like to purchase a playtext for International delivery, please contact us on info@dasharts.org.uk
