The Nightmares of Carlos Fuentes Read online

  Nabil Elouahabi &

  Nick of Time Productions Ltd present

  The

  Nightmares

  of Carlos

  Fuentes

  By Rashid Razaq

  Based on a short story by Hassan Blasim

  The World Premiere

  First performed at the Arcola Theatre Studio 1

  on 23 June 2014

  Supported by

  AND: Martin Brodie, Ian & Benedicte Clarkson, Baginsky Cohen, Gill Fitzhugh, Jenny Hall, Ali Matar, Nadim & Bobbie Sawalha and The Unity Theatre Trust.

  The Nightmares of Carlos Fuentes

  By Rashid Razaq

  CAST in order of appearance

  CARLOS

  Nabil Elouahabi

  LYDIA

  Caroline Langrishe

  CASE WORKER/SAHAR

  Sara Bahadori

  KEVIN/KHALED

  Selva Rasalingam

  PRODUCTION

  Director

  Nicolas Kent

  Designer

  Ellan Parry

  Lighting Designer

  Matthew Eagland

  Sound Designer

  Andy Graham

  Assistant Director

  Diyan Zora

  Casting Director

  Marilyn Johnson

  Production Manager

  Andy George

  Stage Manager

  Sophie Sierra

  Assistant Stage Managers

  James Enser

  Joanna Walker

  Nicole Vardon

  Set Construction

  Tim Highman & The Scenery Shop

  Marketing

  EMG Media & Marketing

  (www.emg-ents.com)

  Press Representative

  Emma Holland

  Social Media Manager

  Georgia Landers

  Cover Design

  Shiv Grewal

  Production Photographer

  Judy Goldhill

  General Manager

  Mat Burt

  Producer

  Nicolas Kent

  Nabil Elouahabi

  Executive Producers

  Heritage Arts Company PW Productions

  Assistant Producer

  Yinka Ayinde

  Production Coordinators

  Jessica Hall

  Willa Cunningham

  Accountant

  Jon Catty for Nick of Time Productions Ltd

  Financial Controller

  Bob Thomas

  Production Accountant

  Dee Vithlami

  The play is set in London, an immigration detention centre outside London, and Baghdad between 2006 – 2011.

  It runs approximately 75 minutes without an interval.

  Acknowledgements

  WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL TO THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS, ORGANISATIONS AND COMPANIES FOR THEIR HELP WITH THIS PRODUCTION: SHEENA BHATTESSA, CRESSIDA BROWN, LUCY JACKSON, BEN LATHAM & THE REFUGEE COUNCIL, RICHARD NORTON-TAYLOR, LIZ FRANKEL, RA PAGE, ESTELA WELLDON, PETER WILSON, THE COMMA PRESS, THE MANDEVILLE HOTEL, AND ALL THE STAFF AT THE ARCOLA THEATRE.

  HASSAN BLASIM (Writer of the original story)

  Is a poet, filmmaker and short story writer. Born in Baghdad in 1973, he studied at the city’s Academy of Cinematic Arts, where two of his films ‘Gardenia’ (screenplay & director) and ‘White Clay’ (screenplay) won the Academy’s Festival Award for Best Work in their respective years. In 1998 he left Baghdad for Sulaymaniya (Iraqi Kurdistan), where he continued to make films, including the feature-length drama Wounded Camera, under the pseudonym Ouazad Osman, fearing for his family back in Baghdad under the Hussein dictatorship. In 2004, he moved to Finland, where he has since made numerous short films and documentaries for Finnish television.

  His stories have previously been published on www.iraqstory.com and his essays on cinema have featured in Cinema Booklets (Emirates Cultural Foundation). After first appearing in English in Madinah, his debut collection The Madman of Freedom Square was published by Comma a year later (Nov 2009). Madman was long-listed for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in 2010, and has since been translated into numerous other languages. A heavily censored Arabic edition was finally published in 2012 and was immediately banned in Jordan. In 2010, Hassan was described by The Guardian newspaper as ‘perhaps the greatest writer of Arabic fiction alive’. His second collection, The Iraqi Christ was published in April 2013, and subsequently translated and published in Finland at the end of 2013. A selection of stories from both of his two collections were published in the States in Feb 2014, by Penguin USA, under the title ‘The Corpse Exhibition’. In May 2014, The Iraqi Christ was announced the winner of the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize – the first Arabic title ever to win the award and the first short story collection ever to win the award.

  RASHID RAZAQ (Playwright)

  Rashid’s debut play The President and The Pakistani (directed by Tom Attenborough), based on the real-life story of Barack Obama and his illegal immigrant flat-mate opened at the Waterloo East Theatre in run-up to the US presidential election in 2012. Rashid’s short play Arab Spring (starring Nabil Elouahabi) was performed at the Nursery Festival in 2011 and was featured on BBC Arabic Service. His short play, Hardcore, was selected for a best of programme at the 503 Theatre. He is a graduate of the Royal Court Theatre’s Young Writers’ Programme.

  Rashid wrote Man and Boy (starring Eddie Marsan), which won Best Short at the Tribeca Film Festival 2011 and a top prize at the Aspen Film Festival. His previous short film Father (starring Sam Spruell and Matt King) was selected for festivals in the UK and internationally. He has co-written the forthcoming feature film Orthodox (starring Stephen Graham) about an Orthodox Jewish boxer and has another feature film in development.

  Rashid works as a reporter for the London Evening Standard covering subjects including crime, arts and politics, and is a screenwriter as well as a journalist.

  CAST

  SARA BAHADORI (Case worker/Sahar)

  Trained at Bretton Hall, Leeds. She is of Iranian/British heritage and hails originally from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. Her television credits include ITV’s Coronation Street, BBC’s Waterloo Road, YTV’s The Royal Today and BBC’s Doctors. Her Theatre credits include The Worm Collector at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Soul Destroying Finger Food at The Old Red Lion and Click at Riverside Studios. Her comedy work includes performing her own writing in sketch-shows at Leicester Square Theatre and as part of Triforce Promotions’ Monologue Slam. Her recent radio work includes impersonating the legendary ‘Freda Kelly’ as the lead role in Sorry Boys, You Failed the Audition for BBC Radio 4. More at www.sarabahadori.com

  NABIL ELOUAHABI (Carlos)

  Theatre credits include Love Your Soldiers at the Sheffield Crucible, The Great Game: Afghanistan for the Tricycle Theatre/US Tour, Crossing Jerusalem also at the Tricycle and Sparkleshark for the National Theatre. Recent Television credits include Fox’s 24, BAFTA award-winning drama Top Boy Series II for Channel 4, Generation Kill for HBO, The Path to 9/11 for ABC, Mad Dogs on SKY. He is well-known for his role as Tariq in the BBC’s EastEnders and as GARY in the beloved Only Fools & Horses. Film credits include Zero Dark Thirty, Code 46, In This World, Ali G Indahouse and The Sum of All Fears. The Nightmares of Carlos Fuentes will be Nabil’s first co-production, with further projects in development.

  CAROLINE LANGRISHE (Lydia)

  Theatre credits include The Memory of Water at the New Vic Theatre/Stephen Joseph Theatre, The Handyman at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre/national tour, Country at the Southwark Playhouse, Hay Fever at the Chichester Festival Theatre, Tons of Money on national tour, Private Lives at the W
indsor Theatre Royal, Marrying the Mistress on a national tour, Murderer at the Menier Chocolate Factory, The Way of the World at the Manchester Royal Exchange, Our Song on national tour, An Ideal Husband on national tour, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore at the Young Vic Theatre, Twelfth Night at the Riverside Studios, Present Laughter at the Wyndham’s Theatre, Private Lives and Talk of The Devil at the Watford Palace Theatre, The Philanderer at the Hampstead Theatre, The Knickers at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith and A Month in the Country, Don Juan, Much Ado about Nothing, and Danton’s Death at the National Theatre. Caroline is best known on screen for roles including Charlotte Cavendish in Lovejoy, Georgina Channing in Judge John Deed and Marilyn Fox in Casualty. Her other screen credits include Death in Paradise, The Case, Outnumbered, Pete Versus Life, Midsomer Murders, Sharpe, Sons Daughters and Lovers, Poirot, Chancer, Pulaski, Wuthering Heights, Anna Karenina and The Glittering Prizes. Film Credits include Plastic, Love’s Kitchen, Second Son, Bonobo, David Rose, Memorablis, Kisna, Rogue Trader, Newborn, Parting Shots, Crimetime, Twelfth Night, Hawks, Cleopatra, Dead Man’s Folly, A Christmas Carol, Les Miserables, Mistral’s Daughter Death Watch, and The Eagle’s Wing.

  SELVA RASALINGAM (Kevin/Khaled)

  Theatre credits include Nicolas Kent’s productions The Riots (Tricycle) and Guantanamo (West End transfer); On the Record (Ice and Fire Productions/Arcola), Mary Stuart (Derby Playhouse), Eden’s Empire (Finborough), RSC’s Midnight’s Children (US/UK tour and Barbican). TV includes: Luther, Hustle, Doctor Who, Spooks, Torchwood, Waking the Dead, Jonathan Creek (BBC); Joseph (Turner Pictures/BBC); The Borgias (Sky Atlantic); Run, The Golden Years by Arthur Miller (Channel 4); Herod the Great as Herod (Five); Londynczycy (Telewizja Polska); Law and Order (ITV). Film includes: Jesus in The Gospels film series; The Veteran, The Devil’s Double, Prince of Persia, Skyfall, Man About Dog, Carry on Columbus, Son of the Pink Panther. Trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

  CREATIVE TEAM

  NICOLAS KENT (Director)

  Started his career at Liverpool Playhouse in 1967 as an ABC TV trainee regional theatre director. In 1970 he became Artistic Director of the Watermill Theatre, from 1970-72 Associate Director of the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh and from 1976-81 Administrative Director of The Oxford Playhouse Company. From 1984-2012 he was Artistic Director of the Tricycle Theatre in London.

  He has directed productions in over 100 theatres around the world including the West End and New York; as well as for notable companies in Great Britain including The National Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Royal Court, The Donmar Warehouse, The Hampstead Theatre, the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith and the Young Vic.

  He is probably best known for the political work he did at Tricycle Theatre, where the verbatim plays he directed became known as the Tricycle Tribunal plays, and included The Colour of Justice (the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry), Nuremberg, Srebrenica, Bloody Sunday (Olivier Award for Special Achievement), Guantanamo & The Riots. Most were broadcast by the BBC, and two were performed in the Houses of Parliament and on Capitol Hill. They constituted a body of work which won the Evening Standard Theatre Awards Special Award for “pioneering political theatre”.

  In 2009 directed the nine-hour trilogy The Great Game – Afghanistan which was nominated for an Olivier award in London, and subsequently toured the USA; as well as two command performances for the Pentagon in Washington in 2011. One year later he directed an eight play series: The Bomb: a partial history

  He has also directed many plays in the USA both regionally and in New York, on BBC TV and radio. Most recently he directed David Greig’s Letter of Last Resort for BBC Radio 4, and his own translation of Jean-Claude Grumberg’s I just don’t believe it with Michael Gambon & Frances de La Tour at the 2013 Cheltenham Literary Festival

  He was awarded an Honorary Degree at Westminster University in 2006, the Liberty Human Rights Award 2010 and the first ever Freedom of the Borough of Brent in 2012.

  ELLAN PARRY (Designer)

  Is a previous winner of the Jocelyn Herbert Award and a Linbury Prize Finalist. Recent designs include El Niño (dir. John la Bouchardiere, Spoleto Festival, Charleston, USA), the world premier of new opera Neige (dir. Catherine Kontz, Grand Theatre de Ville, Luxembourg), The Miser, (dir. Nancy Meckler, Watermill Theatre, Newbury), Noye’s Fludde (dir. Olivia Fuchs, Southbank Centre, London), Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, (dir. Caroline Leslie, the Theatre, Chipping Norton), The Secret Marriage (dir. Martin Lloyd-Evans, British Youth Opera, Peacock Theatre, London), The Fairy Queen (dir. Susannah Waters, Brighton Theatre Royal), Without You (dir. Steve Maler, Menier Chocolate Factory, London, and the Panasonic Theatre, Toronto – co-designer with Timothy Bird), Electric Hotel (Fuel/Sadlers Wells, dir. David Rosenberg, national tour – costume designer), Sense & Sensibility (dir. Helen Tennison, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre and touring, nominated for Off West End Award – Best Design), and community productions of Carmen (dir. James Hurley, Sadlers Wells, London) and The Magic Flute (dir. Andrew Leveson, Glyndebourne). Ellan trained at Motley and Wimbledon School of Art.

  MATTHEW EAGLAND (Lighting Designer)

  Trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, before eventually heading the lighting departments of the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford and Cambridge Arts Theatre, and has subsequently designed the lighting for many productions throughout the UK and around the World.

  Recent productions include: Variation on a Theme and This Was A man (both at The Finborough), Ignis (The Print Room), It’s a Wonderful Life (Pitlochry Festival Theatre), Kindertransport (National Tour), September in the Rain (National Tour), Mansfield Park (National Tour), The West End Men (The Vaudeville), I Lombardi (UCO), Alan Ayckbourn’s Intimate Exchanges cycle of plays (Mercury Colchester), Flow (The Print Room), Haunting Julia (Tour), Derren Brown’s Svengali, Cool Hand Luke (Aldwych Theatre), and Broken Glass (Vaudeville Theatre).

  Other highlights… Plays: Terre Haute (Trafalgar Studios and 59E59 Theater, New York), The Secret of Sherlock Holmes Duchess Theatre, Our Man in Havana (Nottingham Playhouse), Carrie’s War (The Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue), Darwin in Malibu (Birmingham Rep), Moon on a Rainbow Shawl (Nottingham Playhouse), My Boy Jack (National tour), An Hour and a Half Late (Theatre Royal Bath Productions), Little Women (Duchess Theatre) and Copenhagen (Watford Palace). Musicals: Assassins, A Little Night Music, Company, Grand Hotel (Royal Academy of Music) Alfie (Watford Palace) and Murderous Instincts (Savoy Theatre). Opera: La Traviata, L Elisir di Amore, La Finta Semplice, Jacko’s Hour, The Long Christmas Dinner and The Dinner Engagement (double bill), L’Heure Espagnol and Gianni Schicchi (double bill).

  ANDY GRAHAM (Sound Designer)

  Graduated from Mountview Theatre School in 2001 with a BA (Hons) in Technical Theatre. As a sound operator, credits include The King & I, The Full Monty, Contact, Jerry Springer The Opera (Olivier Award for Best Sound), Guys And Dolls (Olivier Nomination), The Lord Of The Rings (Olivier Nomination), Our House, Loserville and Once – The Musical (Olivier nomination).

  For Kneehigh Theatre Company, Andy has worked as an operator and Associate Sound Designer on three seasons of The Asylum, Brief Encounter (UK Tour, USA & Australian Tours & Broadway – Tony Nomination for Best Sound), The Red Shoes (UK, USA and Australia), The Wild Bride (UK, USA and New Zealand), The King of Prussia, Midnight’s Pumpkin, and Blast!

  Solo design work and collaborations include Mary Rose (Riverside Studios), Allegro, Spend Spend Spend (LMST/Bridewell), Jekyll and Hyde (English Theatre, Vienna), A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings (BAC), The Kiss Of The Spider Woman (Arts Ed), The Other School (NYMT/St James), A Scent Of Flowers (Brockley Jack) and The Beautiful Game (Union). He is currently the UK Sound Associate for Once – The Musical (Phoenix) and Handbagged (Vaudeville).

  NICK OF TIME PRODUCTIONS LTD presents politically engaged theatre with the aim of encouraging discussion and debate around important issues, and giving a voice to marginalised groups. The company is run by Nicolas Kent with a broad range of associates including Mary
Lauder (former General Manager of the Tricycle Theatre) Jack Bradley (former Literary Manager of the National Theatre and presently working with Sonia Friedman Productions Ltd), Belinda Lang (actor), Nabil Elouahabi (actor), Jenny Jules (actor) and Charlotte Westenra (director).

  Since 2012 Nick of Time Productions has commissioned plays from Clare Bayley and Rahila Gupta on deaths in custody in collaboration with Inquest and supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. The company is also working on a project on Drones co-produced with Jemima Khan, and with commissions from Christina Lamb & Ron Hutchinson, David Greig and Amit Gupta.

  COMMA PRESS is a Manchester-based publishing ‘experiment’ specialising in short narratives; it is the most prolific hardcopy publisher of short stories in the UK, and also regularly commissions short film adaptations – poem-films and short story adaptations. For more information go to commapress.co.uk or follow us on Twitter @ commapress.

  HERITAGE ARTS COMPANY

  The Heritage Arts Company exists to rouse the public imagination, through both creating its own work and producing work by others. We employ spectacle to inform, to entertain and to teach. We are an arts company, undertaking all mediums and art forms, but our home is in live performance. Our guiding principles are equality and honesty. Since 2007 we’ve made or produced radio plays, straight theatre, modern dance, gallery installations, set design, multiplayer games, and the VAULT Festival – the largest arts festival of its kind in London. Recent work includes VAULT Festival 2014 (“An incredibly rich programme of theatre, music and comedy” – The Independent”), the stage adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s gonzo classic Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (“A real blast… a trip I heartily recommend ” – The Telegraph) and a brand new adaptation of Ian McEwan’s debut novel The Cement Garden, starring George Mackay and Ruby Bentall (“Adventurous and youthfully energetic ” – The Times). www.heritagearts.co.uk | @HeritageArts | facebook.com/HeritageArtsCompany