Methuen Drama Contemporary Plays from Iraq: A Cradle; a Strange Bird on Our Roof; Cartoon Dreams; Ishtar in Baghdad; Me, Torture, and Your Love; Romeo and Juliet in Baghdad; Summer Rain; the Takeover; the Widow

Contemporary Plays from Iraq is a ground-breaking collection of Middle Eastern drama translated into English for the very first time. With works from both established and emerging male and female playwrights, written in country and in exile, this volume offers current Iraqi perspectives on a war and occupation that have significantly impacted the Middle East and the rest of the world. Dealing exclusively with contemporary plays originating from Iraq, this anthology gives under-studied Arabic political theatre the attention it deserves and provides a general introduction that sets the plays within their cultural and historical contexts. The plays are preceded by introductions from the playwrights themselves, further enriching each piece for the enjoyment and understanding of the reader.The volume is introduced and translated by James Al-Shamma, Assistant Professor at Belmont University, US, and A. Al-Azraki, an Iraqi playwright. About the Author A. Al-Azraki is an Iraqi playwright.Monadhil Daoud Albayati is a theatre director, playwright, and actor. He was born in 1960 in Basra. He has a PhD in Performing Arts and a High Diploma in Theatre Directing from the Theatre Academy in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and a Diploma in Directing from the Fine Arts Institute, Baghdad. He was a program supervisor at Spectrum London from 1995 through 1997. He is currently a director in the Department of Cinema and Theatre in the Iraqi Ministry of Culture. As an actor, he has appeared in the plays The Great Wall of China (Soor al-seen), The Court (Al-mahkama), The Dramatic Wedding (Al-zafaaf al-dirami), Joan of Arc (Jan Dark), Hamlet’s Conference (Mu’tamar Hamlet), Richard III, and Tartuffe (Tartuf). He has written the plays Here is Baghdad (Huna Baghdad) and Time of the Mill (Zamen al-Mat’hana), and the play adaptations Romeo and Juliet in Baghdad (Roemo wa Juliet fi Baghdad) and Forget Herostratus! (Insu Herostrat). His directorial credits include The Boy Mahran (Al-fata Mahran) and Cannibals (Akilat Luhoom al-Basher). All of the above have been staged in Baghdad, and Romeo and Juliet in Baghdad received a production in Stratford, England, as well, at the World Shakespeare Festival in 2012.Abdul Razaq al Rubai was born in Baghdad in 1961 and received his B.A. in Arabic Language from Baghdad University. He has served as an editor for many cultural and literary magazines, and he is a well-known poet whose verse has been anthologized in numerous volumes, including A Tribute to Her Laughter (Fi al-Thanaa ala Dhihkataha; Muscat, 2015), Speicher’s Birds (Tiyour Speicher; Baghdad, 2014), and Nostalgia Diary (Yaoumiyat al-Hanin; Muscat, 2012). His plays include: A Strange Bird on Our Roof (Alla Sathuna Tair Ghraib), published in Muscat in 2013; Hell’s Evangelists (Umraa al-Jahim), produced in Auckland in 2007; and Tramps Catching Stars (al-Sa’alik Yastadhoon al-Nijoom) and Planets of the Personal System (Kawakib al-Majmua al-Shakhsiya), both produced in Cairo in 2004. He currently resides in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, and works at the Studies and Research Centre, Oman Establishment for Press Publication and Advertising.Ali Abdel-Nabi Al-Zaidi was born in Nasiriya in 1965, and graduated from the Teacher’s Institute of that city in 1987. His play collections include The Eighth Day of the Week (Thamin Ayam al-Usbu’; 2000), The Return of the Man Who Has Not been Absent (Awda al-Rajul allthi lam Yaghib; 2005), A Show in Arabic (Ardh bil Arabi; 2011), and The Divine Plays (Al-ilahiyat; 2014).Rasha Fadhil is an award-winning short-story writer, novelist, playwright, and journalist. She was born in Basra in 1975 and spent her childhood there, attended college and lived for a time in Tikrit, and currently resides in Lebanon. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Tikrit and was awarded a certificate in International Journalism and Media Studies from the Institute of Arab Strategy in Beirut in 2008. She has participat