A History of Water in the Middle East (Modern Plays)

Can you hear it,

the hiss of water wiggling

its way out into the world

uncaptured, wasted, wanton?

British-Egyptian Sabrina Mahfouz grew up with ambitions of being a spy. She has two passports, speaks two languages and has a cultural understanding of two very different countries. But when it came to applying for MI6, it turned out she wasn't quite British enough.

So now she's on her own intelligence mission – to explore who really holds the power in and over the Middle East. In a world long obsessed with access to oil, will water soon become the natural resource that dictates control, or has it been all along?

A History of Water in the Middle East journeys across twelve different countries using theatre, poetry and music to share stories of women across the region. From the British Imperialist ownership of natural resources, to the environmental urgency of the present, water has shaped lives, policies and fortunes – and it will shape all of our futures.

This edition published to coincide with the premiere at the Royal Court in October 2019.