Doomed by Hope Essays on Arab Theatre

Doomed by Hopeis a beautifully presented collection of essays by writers and artists from across the Arab world which traces the history of Arab theater and its relationship to processes of social change. With contributors from Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Kuwait, and Yemen, this book captures the diversity of cultural practices in the Arab world. The essays include both academic discussions and personal narratives, alongside a number of specially commissioned portraits of contemporary Arab theatre artists. This unique book is one of the first English language volumes on Arab theatre. In a highly topical manner following the Arab Spring it links cultural practices in the Arab world to experiences of repression and revolution.

Eyad Houssami makes and writes about theatre. He studied theatre at Yale University and currently lives in Beirut. He is the author of the play Mama Butterfly.

Elias Khoury is a Lebanese writer and public intellectual. He is the author of plays, film scripts, stories, and critical essays, and his twelve novels include Little Mountain, Gate of the Sun, As Though She Were Sleeping and Sinalkol.

Dalia Khamissy was born in Beirut. Her photography has been published and exhibited internationally, and her work is part of the permanent collection of the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris.

Foreword - Elias Khoury
Introduction - Eyad Houssami
1. Remembering Saadallah Wannous - Jawad Al Asadi
2. Refugees on the Syrian Stage: Soiree for the 5th of June - Edward Ziter
3. Saadallah Wannous in Palestine: Speaking about the Elephant - Rania Jawad
4. Performance through the Egyptian Revolution: Tahrir Stories - Dalia Basiouny
5. Three Egyptian Plays in the Wake of the January Revolution - Samia Habib
6. Staging a Protest: Socio-Political Critique in Contemporary Yemeni Theatre - Katherine Hennessey
7. Practicing Theatre and Playwriting in Damascus - Abdullah Alkafri
8. Emerging Voices in Syrian Theatre - Meisoun Ali
9. The Things I Am Afraid To Tell You: Performing Palestine in Diaspora - Joseph Shahadi
10. Doomed by Dialogue, Saved by Curiosity: Arab Performances under American Eyes - Margaret Litvin
11. Shakespeare, Global Debris, and International Political Theatre -Sulayman Al Bassam
12. So Far Yet So Close - Rabih Mroue
13. Soiree for the Fifth of June: Syria Today and the Urgency of Dialogue - Asaad Al-Saleh
14. Theatre in Roumieh Prison - Zeina Daccache
Biographies