Palestinian playwright Ahmed Masoud will participate in an evening of conversation and theatrical readings on March 7 at The Courtyard Playhouse Theatre in Dubai.
Hosted by Danu Dubai and founder Padraig Downey, the evening will see a staged reading of one of Masoud’s plays, ‘The Shroud Maker’, as well as a discussion on the role of the arts in Gaza and Palestine. They will be joined by local Arab literary guests including published poet Zeina Hashem Beck.
Masoud is a Palestinian writer, director and academic based in the UK and known for his book ‘Vanished — The Mysterious Disappearance of Mustafa Ouda’. He grew up in the Gaza Strip and moved to the UK to complete his postgraduate studies in English Literature.
‘The Shroud Maker’ details Hajja Souad, an 80-year old Palestinian woman living on the besieged Gaza Strip. She has survived decades of wars and oppression through making shrouds for the dead. The one-woman comedy delves deep into the intimate life of ordinary Palestinians that weaves comic fantasy and satire with true stories told first hand to the writer.
Hashem Beck is a Lebanese poet who lives in Dubai. Her most recent collection, ‘Louder than Hearts’, won the 2016 May Sarton New Hampshire Poetry Prize. She’s also the author of ‘3arabi Song’, winner of the 2016 Rattle Chapbook prize, ‘There Was and How Much There Was’, a 2016 Laureate’s Choice selected by Carol Ann Duffy, and ‘To Live in Autumn’, winner of the 2013 Backwaters Prize.
Entry to the event, starting at 7.30pm, is by guest list only. Apply online.
