- About the anthology

 - About the other plays

 - Buy the anthology

 

TALES FROM THE ARABIAN NIGHTS

by Donna Abela
read extract

The King has beheaded his Queen. He has locked up the desperate outsiders she hid in his kingdom, and vowed to execute them, one by one, each dawn. Disguised as the next outsider due to die, Shahrazad tells stories to the King; strange and amazing stories about merchants and fishermen, Ali Baba and bandits, kings and professors, calligraphers and demons. The King is captivated by her tales of greed and foul play. His fury subdued, he relinquishes his vow, releases the outsiders, and agrees to help anyone who seeks refuge in his land.

Tales from the Arabian Nights was short-listed for the 2005 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards (Best Play), and nominated for the 2005 Children’s Theatre AWGIE Award.

Cast
Variable. Can be performed by a cast of 50 or more, or by an athletic cast of 6. There are 33 speaking roles (7 female, 16 male, 10 either).
Length 60 minutes
Style Transformative storytelling

 

Previous productions

2004  Kim Carpenter’s Theatre of Image at Gosford, followed by a tour of NSW and Victoria, playing to school and family audiences

Reviews/comments

‘Abela has clearly gone beyond the usual sources and adapted the best stories to suit this work, stories that effortlessly tell us much about human nature, morality, kindness and contemporary Australia.’
Judge’s comments, 2005 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards

What's in the Resources pack?

  • The play
  • Production rights information
  • From page to stage: a teacher's guide to navigating the production rights process
  • Production photos
  • More reviews
  • What the selection panel said
  • A short biography of the playwright
  • An audio interview with the playwright