The Shrouds or the Dead

WATDI Funding Announced August 12, 2009

Writer Afeif Ismail, an award-winning writer from Sudan,who will be working with a team of top WA theatre and dance artists alongside recent immigrants to Perth to adapt one of his existing plays for a new Australian version that mixes cultural traditions said:

‘I am originally Sudanese, now I am Australian. This project means to me the beginning of recognition in my new land to continue my mission as a writer and cultural ambassador. I believe diversity creates great dimension in our world. I come from a rich culture and would like to add my bit to make the multi-cultural flavour of WA. This project will help this very well, a project from African background with Arabic influence with a universal idea.’

This project has been supported by the Western Australian Theatre Development Initiative, which is funded by the Australian Government, through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.

Beginnings August 12, 2009

This project will take a story of and from the African-Arabic community and through this explore how international theatre can be presented in Australia; what this will sound and look like, what its unique identity will be. We will investigate the similarities and differences between theatre in Sudan and Australia, and using this research, we will create a new type of theatre.