A Museum in Baghdad by Hannah Khalil

Photo credit: Ellie Kurttz

For 8 years, I was honoured to support Hannah Khalil on the development of this major play, through many iterations, and development phases. The work paid off when it eventually, was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and produced for the Stratford 2019/2020 season. A massive undertaking bringing new voices and stories to the Stratford stage.  The production was due a transfer to the Kiln Theatre in London when the pandemic struck.  

A Museum in Baghdad

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?

Directed by Erica Whyman 

Actors: Emma Fielding, Rasoul Saghir, Rendah Heywood, Houda Echouafni, Zed Josep, Riad Richie, Davide Birrell, Debbie Korley, Nadi Kemp-Sayfi, Ali Gadema.