Arts Council in partnership with the BBC Present:

RICHARD II IN PALESTINIAN ARABIC AVAILABLE TO WATCH ONLINE

In May 2012 The Ashtar Theatre performed Shakespeare’s Richard II in Palestinian Arabic as part of the Globe to Globe Festival. The play is now available to watch online, free of charge, at The Space.

The Space is a new on-demand digital arts service which is available free of charge via the internet, smartphones, tablets and connected TV, on Freeview and Freeview HD.

The play will be available on The Space website until the end of October 2012 when the project will come to an end.

The Company

The Ashtar Theatre was established in Jerusalem in 1991 by Palestinian actors Edward Muallem and Iman Aoun. They tour the more remote areas of the Palestinian territories to serve audiences unable to reach Ashtar’s main base in Ramallah.

The Play

As Bolingbroke accuses Mowbray of treason and murder, and the two men prepare to fight a duel, King Richard intervenes and banishes them both from England. Already unpopular with his lords the monarch angers his supporters further by selling land to fund the disastrous war in Ireland. With the help of those alienated from Richard’s support, Bolingbroke returns to England with an army to seize the throne from the unpopular king in this modern day adaptation of the work.

Principal Cast & Credits:

King Richard II: Sami Metwasi

Duke of Gloucester/Duke of York: George Ibrahim

John of Gaunt: Hussein Nakhleh

Northumberland: Edward Muallem

Henry Bolingbroke: Nicola Zreineh

Queen: Bayan Shbib

Director: Conall Morrison

Designer: Rajha Shakiry

Text editor: Gassan Zaqtan

Click here to watch Richard II in Palestinian Arabic online now.