The world première of This Flesh Is Mine, a play which revisits the myth of the Trojan Wars to reflect on today’s Middle Eastern conflicts, is at the centre of a Middle Eastern festival at Battersea's Testbed1 next month.
A co-production between Palestinian company Ashtar Theatre, Border Crossings and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, This Flesh Is Mine is directed by Michael Walling. Walling, whose credits include The Ring at ENO, is artistic director of intercultural company Border Crossings.
The play is written by Brian Woolland whose previous plays include Stand or Fall for Playing for Time, a theatre company which specialises in creating theatre in prisons, A Terrible Madness for the Arts Academy, Ballarat, Australia and Double Tongue seen in London prior to touring productions in Hungary and the UK.
Amongst the cast of This Flesh Is Mine is artistic director of ASHTAR Theatre, Iman Aoun, playing Hecuba. Joining her on stage are Razan Alazzeh, Emile André, David Broughton-Davies, Andrew French, and Gerrard McArthur.
Andrew French’s (Achilles) credits include Julius Caesar at the RSC, Measure for Measure at the Almeida, Merchant Of Venice and Troilus and Cressida for the National Theatre. Gerrard McArthur's (Priam / Phoenix) recent credits include Scenes from an Execution at the National Theatre.
The work of Ashtar Theatre has previously been seen in London as part of the 2012’s Globe to Globe Festival, for which they presented Richard II.
The play previews in Ramallah, Palestine in early May prior to its London opening.
Included in the Middle Eastern pop-up festival are films, food stalls and fine art as well as performances.
This Flesh Is Mine plays Testbed1 from 19 to 25 May.