Kate Al Hadid

The repercussions of centuries of interference by Imperial powers in the affairs of the Middle East are with us every day; yet we seem to learn nothing from history. Divided World brings together the work of passionate and award-winning playwrights with their roots in the Middle East, who, like Hamlet's 'players' are the ''abstract and brief chronicles of the time'', clinically exposing the realities of lives lived under illegal occupation or in the shadow and aftermath of conflict, exploitation and destruction. This second collection of plays published by Arts Canteen brims with hope, frustration, humour, pathos or disenchantment and provides performance opportunities for actors of any age and gender. The editor, Kenneth Pickering, is Honorary Professor of Drama at the University of Kent.