Season 1: “Sonnets in the Sands” - Arabic Shakespeare

In this episode, I discuss a 2011 adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream, by the Drama Academy at the Al-Qasaba theatre in Ramallah. Although a comedy and not a tragedy like last episode's play (Hamlet), the fraught political context in Palestine and the ongoing occupation led to unintended effects on the humour of the play. Join me as I break down the play's costuming, language, and directorship, and discuss wider concerns like Orientalism, or the recently ended ceasefire in Palestine. 

Season 1: "Sonnets in the Sands" - Arabic Shakespeare

Dive into this episode about Egyptian adaptations of Hamlet in the '60s and '70s, the influence of Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser's presidency on Hamlet as the 'Arab Hero', and the play's resonance in the Arab world!