Afghanistan: heart of Central Asia, center of classic poetry and science from antiquity, frequently war-torn and the site of some of the most important foreign policy decisions currently facing America.

In 2010, London’s Tricycle Theatre debuted The Great Game: Afghanistan in an expansive American tour. Audiences explored 150 years of history in a theatrical snapshot of foreign engagement in the country, ranging from the 1840s through to the present day.

In The Great Game, twelve emerging and established British and American playwrights spin a tapestry of captivating stories, featuring world powers and warlords, diplomats and activists, opium farmers and ordinary people, all tangled with the tribes and traditions of Afghanistan. The Great Game aims to illuminate the complex culture of Afghanistan and the results of British, American and Russian encounters with local Afghans and each other.

 The Great Game journeyed to four cities across the United States in autumn 2010, and returned for a special encore in spring 2011. The plays are presented in three parts - audiences saw the trilogy over three separate evenings, or in a day-long marathon.

September 15 – 25, 2010
Shakespeare Theatre Company
Washington, DC

September 29 – October 17, 2010
Guthrie Theatre
Minneapolis, MN

October 22 – November 7, 2010
Berkeley Repertory Theatre
San Francisco, CA

December 1 – 19, 2010
The Public Theater, presented in association with the NYU Skirball Center
New York, NY

During the US tour, the British Council partnered to host a slate of energetic public events exploring ideas from The Great Game. High-profile speakers from the media, public diplomacy, cultural communities and others engaged directly with audiences in compelling conversations about history, causality and contemporary conflict as seen through the prism of contemporary British theater.

Accompanying The Great Game's American tour: an anthology of essays exploring the plays and the intersection of expertise and identity.

			September 19, 2010: On The Great Game's opening weekend we joined forces with the Shakespeare Theatre for an in-depth series of panel discussions.
			September 21, 2010: Humanitarian Greg Mortenson of Three Cups of Tea fame gave an impassioned talk about his work in Afghanistan and intersecting themes from The Great Game.
			September 23, 2010: A distinguished panel at the US Institute of Peace discussed The Great Game and how culture can encourage international engagement.
			November 10, 2010: Three countries met in virtual space for an international conference.
			December 16 & 17, 2010: Two fascinating public conversations in New York explored British traditions of political theatre and the concept of "development" in Afghanistan as envisioned by The Great Game.