International Play Development
The Royal Court Theatre works with hundreds of playwrights across the world. All plays submitted to the international department are read in the original language by ...… Read more
Palestine
Since 1995
The Royal Court has been working in the West Bank since 1995. Relationships have grown with Palestinian writers and theatre companies, in particular Al Kasaba in Ramallah and Al Harah Theatre (formerly Inad Theatre) in Beit Jala. In 1998, a two-week workshop took place in Bethlehem and a permanent writers’ group was formed.
In 2000, two Palestinian plays were given workshops and rehearsed readings with UK actors at the Royal Court, directed by Palestinian director Raeda Ghazaleh as part of the International Playwrights season.
As part of this programme, director Rufus Norris lived in Ramallah from May to July 2001, working with playwright David Greig to create a new play with the actors of Al Kasaba Theatre. At the same time, they began a new series of playwriting workshops with a group of young writers associated with Inad Theatre in Beit Jala. In 2005, Royal Court Associate Director Sacha Wares travelled to the West Bank with the playwright Anthony Neilson and, in 2007, returned with Mike Bartlett to start a project with a new set of writers in collaboration with Al Harah Theatre.
Three writers from Palestine took part in the Royal Court Theatre / British Council New Arab Playwrights Project from April 2007 to February 2009.
Current work
603 by Imad Farajin was presented as part of the PEN World Voices Festival at the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York in April 2010.
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