Author: Jasmine Naziha Jones

Hassan Abdulrazzak, of Iraqi origin, was born in Prague and lives in London. He holds a PhD in molecular biology and currently works at Imperial College London. His first play, Baghdad Wedding, was staged at Soho Theatre in 2007. It went on to have productions in Australia and India, and was broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Another play, The Prophet, performed at the Gate Theatre in 2012, was based on extensive interviews in Cairo with revolutionaries, soldiers, journalists, and cab drivers. In 2015, Hassan’s play Dhow under the Sun, with 35 young actors, was staged in Sharjah, UAE. That same year, another play of his, Love, Bombs and Apples, premiered at the Arcola Theatre as part of Shubbak: London Festival of Contemporary Arab Culture. It continued at the Arcola in 2016 and was part of a UK and US tour. His play And Here I Am, based on the life story of a Palestinian fighter turned artist, was part of the 2017 Shubbak Festival, and went on to tour the UK, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. He interviewed ex-prisoners and experts in immigration and criminal law to explore the extraordinary realities of people caught up in immigration detention and deportation for his 2020 play, The Special Relationship.

Jasmine Naziha Jones’ debut play Baghdaddy was described as a “devastating coming-of-age story, told through clowning and memory to explore the complexities of cultural identity, generational trauma and a father-daughter relationship amidst global conflict. Congratulations! Your pain is commercially viable.” British Iraqi, Jones is an accomplished actor, who among her 9 television appearances has been in Call the Midwife and Idris Elba’s sitcom Turn Up Charlie. She has also performed in 27 theatrical stage productions, eight films, and over 30 radio plays. Jones, who is good at stage combat, also sings, and can perform in a variety of accents, from American-Standard and Scouse or Liverpool English to Middle Eastern and Southern African, among many others. Baghdaddy was a Sister co-production, part of an initiative to bring more diverse voices to the Royal Court.