Shakespeare’s First Folio | Shakespeare in Yemen

In a land ravaged by strife and violence, actors and poets search for hope and inspiration in Shakespeare’s language. In this short film, Yemeni actors and actresses perform some of Shakespeare’s most famous lines, and a Yemeni poet recites a qasidah inspired by a Shakespearean sonnet. Why Shakespeare? Why Yemen, and why now? Come watch and find out.

This short film was created by Katherine Hennessey, Associate Professor of Shakespeare and Global Literature at Wenzhou-Kean University, in collaboration with Yemeni director Amin Hazaber and Yemeni videographer Mohammad Moneer. After the screening, Dr. Hennessey will speak about the making of the film and about the surprising history of Shakespearean performance in Yemen and the Arabian Gulf.

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This program is sponsored by The Middle East Studies Center at Portland State University. The event is part of Shakespeare’s First Folio: 1623–2023, a public humanities project staged by Portland State University and other regional arts organizations from September 2023 through May 2024.