The World to Hear: Queens of Syria UK Theatre Tour (2017)

Award-winning director Charlotte Ginsborg and first time director Anatole Sloan's charming and poignant 30 minute film follows a very unusual theatre tour. In the summer of 2016, thirteen Syrian refugee women came over from their refugee lodgings in Jordan to tour the UK with their own adaptation of Euripides' great anti-war play, The Trojan Women. Billed as Queens of Syria, and backed by London's prestigious Young Vic Theatre, the women worked their own stories of exile and loss into the play. In a couple of minibuses, the women - all of whom come from traditional Syrian families and none of whom were professional actors - toured eight theatres in three weeks, from London to Edinburgh, playing to packed houses and standing ovations every night. Despite no previous acting experience outside this play, they received five star reviews in the Times. Their tour ended in a Gala Night performance at the New London Theatre in London's West End, playing to over 1000 people. They become, briefly, famous and were even invited to meet senior British MP's in the Houses of Parliament. During this highly unusual road trip, these extraordinarily brave women tell the harrowing stories of how and why they were forced to leave their homes for exile in Jordan. They also explain why they felt this play could help make the world understand what it means to be Syrian today. On the busses, in the changing rooms, on the stage, Charlotte Ginsborg and Anatole Sloan show the courage and humour of these accidental actors as they discover to their bewilderment that they are the toast of the UK. The film is in both Arabic with sub-titles and English. This film is the sequel to the multi-award-winning documentary Queens of Syria (2014) directed by Yasmin Fedda.