Arab playwrights make waves on BBC radio

Al Amwaj (The Waves) is a new collaborative play created by a group of Qatari and Saudi writers, stemming from a unique Arab playwriting initiative by the British Council and BBC. The play was broadcast on BBC World Service on Saturday, 21 March and is the first BBC play to be commissioned from writers in the Gulf region.

Exploring storytelling and identity, the play is told through the experiences of taxi driver Noor Alam. It follows the journeys of six of his passengers to an unspecified coastal town in the Gulf. Whether they talk to Noor, or avoid his questions, it becomes clear to him that their lives are inextricably linked. With each wave that breaks, there is another story to tell.  

Al Amwaj (The Waves) is the final product of a unique playwriting journey. In July 2008, in conjunction with the British Council, award-winning writer Nick Warburton and Executive Producer of BBC World Drama, Marion Nancarrow, ran a three-day 'Writing for Radio' workshop in Doha, Qatar. 30 writers from Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Qatar were invited to take part. All attendees were asked to submit ideas, scenes and treatments reflecting the things they cared about, with a view to becoming part of a smaller group who would work together to write a play specifically for BBC World Drama.

Seven writers were subsequently selected and following a second intensive script workshop held over two days in Qatar, led by Nick Warburton, in conjunction with the British Council, the selected writers created Al Amwaj (The Waves).

Marion Nancarrow describes the play as '…unique, both in terms of who has written it and the way in which it has been created. It comes from the heart of the Arab world and it tells stories and creates characters we don’t often have the chance to hear'.

Hannah Henderson, British Council Regional Manager Creativity, Middle East said of the project  'The Gulf region has wonderful contemporary writers and a rich tradition of storytelling. Al Amwaj touches on issues relevant to the region and brings them to a worldwide radio audience.'

Al Amwaj (The Waves) was written by Abdulla Ahmed Bukamal, Hissa Faraj Al-Marri, Masoud Abdul Hadi and May Touma from Qatar; with Ali Al-Majnooni, Fatima Elias Al Gassim and Tahani Al-Ghureiby from Saudi Arabia.

Sagar Arya plays Noor Alam. He is joined by actors Nadim Sawalha, Sirine Saba, Zolfa Zahedi, Paul Chahidi, William El–Gardi, and Nathalie Armin.