Hannah Khalil | |
|---|---|
| Born | Hannah Mary Khalil 1977 |
| Alma mater | St Mary's University, Twickenham |
| Spouse | Chris White |
| Website | hannahkhalil |
Hannah Mary Khalil FRSL (born 1977) is a playwright of Irish-Palestinian heritage. Her plays include Plan D (2010), Scenes from *68 Years (2016), Hakawatis: Women of the Arabian Nights (2022) and My Persian Kitchen (2025).
Khalil was born to an Irish mother and a Palestinian father from Yasuf and grew up in Dubai and Jordan. [1] She would also spend summers in Ireland. At age 10, Khalil was sent to boarding school in England. Upon her parents' divorce when she was a teenager, their mother moved to Pimlico, London. [2] [3]
Khalil graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English and Drama from St Mary's University, Twickenham. [4]
Khalil self-produced the play Plan D, which premiered at the Tristan Bates Theatre in 2010. The play portrays a Palestinian family's experience during the Nakba. [5] Plan D was shortlisted for the Meyer-Whitworth Award. [6] Her other early work included Ring, Leaving Home, The Unofficial Guide and Bitterenders. [7]
In 2016, Khalil premiered Scenes from 68* Years at the Arcola Theatre, marking 68 years since the Nakba. Scenes from 68* Years was shortlisted for the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. [8] This project evolved into Scenes from 71* Years in 2019 and Trouf: 75 Years in 2023. [9] [10]
This was followed by The Scar Test, containing verbatim accounts of Yarl's Wood detention centre, in 2017 at the Soho Theatre [11] [12] and A Museum in Baghdad, about Gertrude Bell, produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2019. [13] She also contributed Metaverse to the National Theatre of Scotland science fiction collection Interference. [14]
In 2021 as a visiting writer-in-residence, Khalil was appointed Charles A Heimbold Jr Chair of Irish Studies at Villanova University. [15] Maxine Peake directed a charity performance of Khalil's Bitterenders at the Arcola Theatre. [16] [17]
Khalil was the 2022 Writer-in-Residence at the Globe Theatre. For the Globe, she adapted Hans Christian Andersen's The Fir Tree for stage, which received critical acclaim, [18] [19] as well as Shakespeare and Fletcher's Henry VIII , titled The Life of King Henry VIII: All is True. [20] She ended the year with Hakawatis: Women of the Arabian Nights at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Also in 2022, Khalil was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. [21]
Next came Khalil's play My English Persian Kitchen, based on the true story of Iranian-born food writer and nutritionist Atoosa Sepehr and starring Isabella Nefar. [22] The play premiered at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival [23] [24] and had a London run before embarking on a UK tour. [25] Khalil also adapted Treasure Island, staged at the Orange Tree Theatre. [26]
Khalil is married to theatre director Chris White. [4]