Hannah Khalil – författare

I haven't hurt anyone, killed, raped, murdered - I just ran away - came here to be safe. But I'm locked up. I just - I can't believe this is England.They have run away from unimaginable horrors looking only for safety. But, imprisoned together at Yarl's Wood Dentention Centre, these women are stuck in a limbo that offers them exactly the opposite. Based on verbatim interviews from current and former detainees, The Scar Test takes you inside one of England's migrant detention centres, exposing the conditions the inmates must endure whilst awaiting a decision on their fate. Told with compassion, Hannah Khalil's play throws a spotlight on the harrowing ordeals of the female migrants seeking refuge in Britain and the obstacles they face in the process.Published to coincide with its 2017 London and regional tour, The Scar Test originally debuted in 2015 with Untold Arts company.

Can you ever really trust a machine? It is the near future. A couple are struggling to conceive, but fortunately their company has the perfect solution. A woman waits in a VR metaverse to do homework with her young daughter.In a care home staffed by advanced AIs, a woman struggles to make a connection with her android carer.Interference is a trilogy of near-future plays. Staged in an empty office block transformed with vivid projection and atmospheric soundscapes. It asks the question: will technology interfere with what we really need from each other? This edition was published to coincide with National Theatre of Scotland’s 2019 production.

This is about my responsibility. Doing what is right. Being where I’m needed. I’ve started a job and I must finish it. I owe it to the people of Iraq. In 1926, the nation of Iraq is in its infancy, and British archaeologist Gertrude Bell is founding a museum in Baghdad. In 2006, Ghalia Hussein is attempting to reopen the museum after looting during the war.Decades apart, these two women share the same goals: to create a fresh sense of unity and nationhood, to make the world anew through the museum and its treasures. But in such unstable times, questions remain. Who is the museum for? Whose culture are we preserving? And why does it matter when people are dying?A story of treasured history, desperate choices and the remarkable Gertrude Bell. This edition of Hannah Khalil's epic new play was published to coincide with the world premiere at the RSC's The Other Place in 2019.

I’m his mother. A mother knows things - feels them. When her child isn’t well. Isn’t happy.The kitchen of a suburban house. A mother and daughter raise a child in the most normal way possible following the departure of a family member.Tensions rise as the pair skirt around issues that underpin their co-dependency, proving that what goes on inside a relationship is never clear to the people outside.This searing new play by award-winning writer Hannah Khalil is published in Methuen Drama’s Lost Plays series, celebrating new plays that had productions postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak and the global shutdown of theatre spaces.

Theatre has a complex history of responding to crises, long before they happen. Through stage plays, contemporary challenges can be presented, explored and even foreshadowed in ways that help audiences understand the world around them. Since the theatre of the Greeks, audiences have turned to live theatre in order to find answers in uncertain political, social and economic times, and through this unique collection questions about This anthology brings together a collection of 20 scenes from 20 playwrights that each respond to the world in crisis. Twenty of the world’s most prolific playwrights were asked to select one scene from across their published work that speaks to the current world situation in 2020. As COVID-19 continues to challenge every aspect of global life, contemporary theatre has long predicted a world on the edge. Through these 20 scenes from plays spanning from 1980 to 2020, we see how theatre and art has the capacity to respond, comment on and grapple with global challenges that in turn speak to the current time in which we are living. Each scene, chosen by the writer, is prefaced by an interview in which they discuss their process, their reason for selection and how their work reflects both the past and the present. From the political plays of Lucy Prebble and James Graham to the polemics of Philip Ridley and Tim Crouch. From bold works by Inua Ellams, Morgan Lloyd Malcom and Tanika Gupta to the social relevance of Hannah Khalil, Zoe Cooper and Simon Stephens this anthology looks at theatre in the present and asks the question: “how can theatre respond to a world in crisis?” The collection is prefaced by an introduction from Edward Bond, one of contemporary theatre’s most prolific dramatists.

This is the first ever collection of plays by Palestinian-Irish playwright Hannah Khalil; the first woman of Arab heritage to have a main-stage play at the RSC. It encompasses a decade’s worth of plays exploring her Arab heritage, drawing on family histories as well as significant events in the Arab World. They were all written during a period that included the end of the war in Iraq, the intensification of the occupation of Palestine and the birth and disillusion of the so called Arab Spring. The plays included are set in both a historical and modern context. They include a feminist take on 1001 nights and the Scheherazade story; an exploration of Gertrude Bell, the Museum in Baghdad and Britain’s role in the birth of the Iraq; plus two plays looking at the Palestinian experience, one based on a family living through the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, the other an epic collage that moves in time from 1948 to present day. This anthology also includes a radio play set in Dubai and a monologue about the power and legacy of artefacts. It’s notable that these plays offer a plethora of non-stereotypical roles for actors of Arab heritage. Through the six plays included the reader can trace a variety of approaches to storytelling, a host of memorable characters and some unforgettable stories. Plays include:Plan DScenes from 73* Years A NegotiationMuseum in BaghdadLast of the Pearl FishersHakawatis

Nominated for Outstanding Drama Education Resource at the 2024 Music & Drama Education AwardsA first-of-its-kind anthology, Beyond The Canon’s Plays for Young Activists combines plays, toolkits, and an online guide to empower young people into activism.With award-winning plays from the UK’s most revolutionary female writers of colour, as well as bespoke multimedia learning guides, this collection offers young global activists aged 16+, as well as teachers and creatives at any level, the opportunity to diversify their education and enhance their understanding of politically driven plays, world politics and social justice.Unique in how it amplifies these selected award-winning plays by incorporating learning guides that accommodate different learning styles (be they visual, auditory, reading/writing and kinaesthetic), Beyond The Canon dares readers to take a deeper dive into the world of the play, be inspired by the themes and provocations and use the anthology to evolve into the ultimate activist. The plays include:Muhammad Ali and Me by Mojisola AdebayoA Museum in Baghdad by Hannah KhalilAcceptance by Amy NgWith resources like top tips on creating a safe space, practical drama challenges and games, interviews with the writers, research guides and activism test sheets, Beyond The Canon’s Plays for Young Activists will spark the imagination of any and all readers, likely inspiring the next Mojisola Adebayo, Hannah Khalil and Amy Ng.

I want to know what the other trees knowGo where the other trees goWhere do they go?Writer Hannah Khalil collaborates with Shakespeare’s Globe in London in this magical re-imagining and re-wilding of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale The Fir Tree.Written for just four actors this inventive and dynamic adaptation harnesses all of the joy of the Christmas season and reminds us that we can all make a difference in taking care of our planet. Music, song and storytelling combine in this accessible and enchanting adaptation that is suitable for families and young people to perform and read together in a story of hope.This edition was published to coincide with the premiere at the Globe Theatre, London, in December 2021.

‘Who knows yetBut from this Lady may proceed a gemTo lighten all this isle’You know the story: a King who turns his country upside down to try and secure a male heir. But it’s never been told this way before.A Queen fights for justice. A Lady provokes reformation. But in the absence of a son, cana Princess change the future?See the story of Henry VIII from a female perspective: this exploration of love, lineage and power by Shakespeare’s Globe Writer in Residence (2022) Hannah Khalil unfolds in a new way.

Hakawati Noun: Storyteller. From the Arabic terms 'hekaye' meaning story and 'haki' meaning to talk.A tyrant revenges his wife’s infidelity by wedding, bedding and beheading a new bride every day. Years later, only five brides-in-waiting remain.These women are unapologetic, and united in their fight to keep themselves – and the whole of womankind – alive. They’ve got other ideas for their future, and it starts with a story...This fearless new play, a co-production with Tamasha, is written by Globe Resident Writer Hannah Khalil. This edition is published to coincide with the world premiere at the Globe Theatre, London, in December 2022.

Friendship makes us fresh.And doth beget new courage in our breasts.A new play for young people and schools, created from Shakespeare’s works.In this wood of words, a band of newcomers arrive to witness banishments, storms, unhappy endings, reunions, and murder most foul... and try to make sense of it all. This unique and thoughtful adaptation for young performers of several of Shakespeare’s works is co-written by director Chris White and award-winning playwright Hannah Khalil, in honour of the 400th anniversary of the First Folio this year.The Wood of Words was created as part of the Associate Schools Programme (the RSC’s long term partnership programme with schools and theatre partners). This edition was published to coincide with the Playmaking Festival at the RSC, in July 2023.

Shortlisted for the Popcorn Writing Award 2024Every time I’ve tried to make this dish there’s been something missing. It hasn’t been quite right. But now I think I know what it is. The missing piece. I’m almost sure. Today is the day. I’ll get this recipe right. I have to. For them.What would you take if you were forced to leave home with no hope of returning? How would you make a fresh start somewhere completely new? This is the true story of one woman who loses everything.Remembering the tastes and aromas of her mother’s kitchen with live cooking on stage, she recreates the dishes of her childhood and homeland, building a new life and community around food.Written by award-winning Hannah Khalil from the story by Atoosa Sepehr, the life-affirming My English Persian Kitchen chronicles the journey of one woman’s quest to start again.This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere Soho Theatre and Traverse Theatre co-production in 2024.

Five new short plays, including author commentaries, from female and non-binary writers of Irish heritage in response to Samuel Beckett.What does Irish heritage mean to members of the modern-day diaspora? Global playwrights Olwen Fouéré, Jennifer Barclay, FELISPEAKS, Nicola McCartney and Hannah Khalil make their mark with five unique pieces loosely inspired by seeds from the Beckett canon.Originally staged for the international Not Beckett festival 2024-25, a festival created by writers Hannah Khalil and Jennifer Barclay to expand on the idea of what Irishness looks and sounds like. Premiering in October 2024 at London’s Jermyn Street Theatre, the plays were then staged internationally with partners on the project: The Samuel Beckett Research Centre in Reading, the Irish Repertory Theatre in New York, Fishamble in Dublin in collaboration with the Lir Academy, and Villanova University in Philadelphia, PA, amongst others.Each short play provides an ideal vehicle for students and readers to further explore the artistic influence of Samuel Beckett’s work through a modern-day, multicultural lens. The collection is introduced by Dr Matthew McFrederick, Co-Director of the Beckett International Foundation at the University of Reading, who considers the plays in the anthology and their impact.duet by Olwen FouéréNever Apologize by Jennifer BarclayWAIT; by FELISPEAKSI CAN'T REMEMBER THE by Nicola McCartneyThe Lighthouse Keeper's Son by Hannah Khalil

They’re coming to see whether or not I can REALLY act. Hoping I can’t - knives out.One hour until curtain up, and Omar Sharif isn’t happy. The show went well last night, but he feels aggrieved that he was upstaged by his fellow actor. He puts on his makeup and longs for a little moment of peace. But that isn’t easy when he has to share a dressing room. It’s more than Omar can endure – he is the star, isn’t he?And then comes Mag, the assistant director, although Omar has hardly noticed her before. He thinks she’s disturbing him to give feedback on last night’s performance, but she has more important things to discuss.And Daphne, his dresser, has been given the task of finding out whether Omar has dyed his moustache again. There have been complaints. These are escalating. Being a successful actor isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.Set backstage at Chichester Festival Theatre in 1983, when Omar starred in Terence Rattigan’s The Sleeping Prince. Hannah Khalil’s Love Omar is a fictional piece inspired by this moment of theatre history.This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere production at Theatro Technis in May 2026.