About us > Past productions > 2010/11 > The Great Game: Afghanistan
who’s who
Richard Bean, Playwright
Lee Blessing, Playwright
David Edgar, Playwright
David Greig, Playwright
Amit Gupta, Playwright
Ron Hutchinson, Playwright
Stephen Jeffreys, Playwright
Abi Morgan, Playwright
Richard Norton-Taylor, Playwright
Ben Ockrent, Playwright
Siba Shakib, Playwright
Simon Stephens, Playwright
Colin Teevan, Playwright
Joy Wilkinson, Playwright
Nicolas Kent, Director
Indhu Rubasingham, Director
Pamela Howard, Project Designer
David I. Taylor, Lighting Designer
(based on original lighting by James Farncombe)
Tom Lishman, Sound Designer
Miriam Nabarro, Associate Designer
Rachel Grunwald, Assistant Director
Jack Morocco, Pyrotechnics
Jeff Stitt, Pyrotechnics
Cast (in alphabetical order)
Daniel Betts
Sheena Bhattessa
Michael Cochrane
Karl Davies
Vincent Ebrahim
Nabil Elouahabi
Shereen Martineau
Tom McKay
Daniel Rabin
Danny Rahim
Raad Rawi
Jemma Redgrave
Cloudia Swann
Rick Warden
part one: the plays
Monologue
by Siba Shakib
Vincent Ebrahim, Mohammed Mashal
Nabil Elouahabi, Taliban
Daniel Rabin, Taliban
Danny Rahim, Taliban
Raad Rawi, Taliban
Nicolas Kent, Director
Herat, 1996.
Bugles at the Gates of Jalalabad
by Stephen Jeffreys
Jemma Redgrave, Lady Sale
Daniel Betts, McCann
Tom McKay, Dickenson
Rick Warden, Hendrick
Karl Davies, Winterflood
Nabil Elouahabi, Afzal
Indhu Rubasingham, Director
Miriam Nabarro, Designer
David I. Taylor, Lighting
(based on original lighting by James Farncombe)
Tom Lishman, Sound
The play is set at the gates of Jalalabad in 1842.
Duologue
by Siba Shakib
Shereen Martineau, Malalai
Vincent Ebrahim, Mohammed Mashal
Indhu Rubasingham, Director
Durand’s Line
by Ron Hutchinson
Michael Cochrane, Sir Henry Mortimer Durand (Foreign Minister of British India, 1885–94)
Raad Rawi, Abdur Rahman (Amir of Afghanistan, 1880–1901)
Rick Warden, Thomas Salter Pyne (Engineer to the Amir)
Danny Rahim, Servant
Nicolas Kent, Director
Pamela Howard, Designer
David I. Taylor, Lighting
(based on original lighting by James Farncombe)
Tom Lishman, Sound
The play is set in a guest house owned by the Amir in Kabul in 1893.
Verbatim (subject to change)
edited by Richard Norton-Taylor
Michael Cochrane, William Dalrymple (Journalist)
Karl Davies, A Senior American Staff Officer on the McChrystal team
Daniel Betts, General McChrystal (Commander ISAF Afghanistan, 2009–10)
Rick Warden, Matthew Waldman (Former Director of Oxfam in Afghanistan)
Campaign
by Amit Gupta
Tom McKay, James Kite
Raad Rawi, Professor Tariq Khan
Karl Davies, Tom
Daniel Betts, Martin Speed
Nicolas Kent, Director
Pamela Howard, Designer
David I. Taylor, Lighting
(based on original lighting by James Farncombe)
Tom Lishman, Sound
The play is set in the British Foreign Office, present day.
Now Is the Time
by Joy Wilkinson
Daniel Rabin, Amanullah Khan (King of Afghanistan, 1919–29)
Vincent Ebrahim, Mahmud Tarzi (Ex-Foreign Minister)
Shereen Martineau, Soroya Tarzi (His daughter, married to Amanullah)
Daniel Betts, Driver
Nicolas Kent, Director
Pamela Howard, Designer
David I. Taylor, Lighting
(based on original lighting by James Farncombe)
Tom Lishman, Sound
The play is set north of Kabul in 1929.
part two: the plays
Black Tulips
by David Edgar
Daniel Betts, Commander
Tom McKay, 1st Deputy
Nabil Elouahabi, 1st Representative
Shereen Martineau, Interpreter
Karl Davies, Rifleman
Vincent Ebrahim, Captain
Rick Warden, Ensign
Michael Cochrane, Angry Major
Raad Rawi, 2nd Representative
Danny Rahim, 2nd Deputy
Cloudia Swann, Nahid
Sheena Bhattessa, Meena
Nicolas Kent, Director
Pamela Howard, Designer
Miriam Nabarro, Designer
Carl B. Hamilton, Designer
David I. Taylor, Lighting
(based on original lighting by James Farncombe)
Tom Lishman, Sound
The play is set in 1987, 1985, 1984, 1982 and 1981 in Afghanistan in a briefing room for newly arrived conscripts of the Soviet 40th Army.
Monologue
by Siba Shakib
Sheena Bhattessa, Queen Gohar Shahd
Indhu Rubasingham, Director
Wood for the Fire
by Lee Blessing
Vincent Ebrahim, General Akhtar (Director, Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence)
Rick Warden, Owens (CIA Station Chief, Islamabad)
Cloudia Swann, Karen (Deputy Station Chief)
Danny Rahim, Abdul (Afghan Commander)
Rachel Grunwald, Director
Pamela Howard, Designer
David I. Taylor, Lighting
(based on original lighting by James Farncombe)
Tom Lishman, Sound
Scene 1: ISI headquarters, Rawalpindi, 1981
Scene 2: CIA Station offices, Islamabad, 1982
Scene 3: A little way outside Peshawar, 1983
Scene 4: ISI headquarters, Rawalpindi, 1985
Scene 5: A little way outside Peshawar, 1986
Miniskirts of Kabul
by David Greig
Jemma Redgrave, Writer
Daniel Rabin, Najibullah
Indhu Rubasingham, Director
Miriam Nabarro, Designer
David I. Taylor, Lighting
(based on original lighting by James Farncombe)
Tom Lishman, Sound
The play is set in the UN compound, Kabul in 1996.
Duologue
by Siba Shakib
Vincent Ebrahim, Mohammed Mashal
Danny Rahim, Taliban Leader
Daniel Betts, Taliban
Nabil Elouahabi, Taliban
Karl Davies, Taliban
Nicolas Kent, Director
Herat, 1996.
The Lion of Kabul
by Colin Teevan
Shereen Martineau, Rabia
Raad Rawi, Ismael
Nabil Elouahabi, Khan N
Vincent Ebrahim, Herati
Daniel Betts, Guard
Rick Warden, Guard
Daniel Rabin, Prisoner
Danny Rahim, Prisoner
Indhu Rubasingham, Director
Miriam Nabarro, Designer
David I. Taylor, Lighting
(based on original lighting by James Farncombe)
Tom Lishman, Sound
The play is set in Kabul in 1998.
part three: the plays
Honey
by Ben Ockrent
Vincent Ebrahim, Masood Khalili
Jemma Redgrave, Robin Raphel (Assstant US Secretary of State for South Asia)
Michael Cochrane, Gary Schroen (CIA Operative)
Daniel Rabin, Ahmad Shah Massoud (Afghan Defense Minister)
Nabil Elouahabi, Attendant
Danny Rahim, Reporter
Raad Rawi, Cameraman
Nicolas Kent, Director
Pamela Howard, Designer
David I. Taylor, Lighting
(based on original lighting by James Farncombe)
Tom Lishman, Sound
Scene 1: 1996, Islamabad US Embassy
Scene 2: 1996, Austrian Embassy, Kabul
Scene 3: 2001, September 8, a house in Northern Afghanistan
Scene 4: 2001, September 9, another room in the same house
The Night Is Darkest Before the Dawn
by Abi Morgan
Cloudia Swann, Minoo
Shereen Martineau, Huma
Daniel Betts, Alex
Daniel Rabin, Omaid
Sheena Bhattessa, Berukh
Nabil Elouahabi, Elmar
Vincent Ebrahim, Tribesman
Danny Rahim, Tribesman
Raad Rawi, Tribesman
Indhu Rubasingham, Director
Miriam Nabarro, Designer
David I. Taylor, Lighting
(based on original lighting by James Farncombe)
Tom Lishman, Sound
The play is set in the countryside south of Kandahar, April 2002.
Verbatim (subject to change)
edited by Richard Norton-Taylor
Raad Rawi, Ahmed Rashid (Pakistani journalist, author of Taliban and Descent into Chaos)
Cloudia Swann, Fiona Gall (Senior Technical Advisor for Disability at the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan)
Rick Warden, General Sir David Richards (Commander NATO/ISAF Forces—Afghanistan, 2006–07; now Head of the British Army and Chief of the Defense Staff designate)
Tom McKay, Mark Sedwill (NATO Ambassador for Civilian Affairs—Afghanistan)
Nicolas Kent, Director
On the Side of the Angels
by Richard Bean
Cloudia Swann, Fiona
Jemma Redgrave, Jackie
Daniel Betts, Jonathan
Tom McKay, Graham
Nabil Elouahabi, Jalaluddin
Daniel Rabin, Dawood
Danny Rahim, Tribesman
Raad Rawi, Tribesman
Indhu Rubasingham, Director
Miriam Nabarro, Designer
David I. Taylor, Lighting
(based on original lighting by James Farncombe)
Tom Lishman, Sound
Scene 1: The NGO office in Croydon, London
Scene 2: Somewhere northeast of Herat
Scene 3: The NGO office in Kabul
Scene 4: The NGO office in Croydon, London
Verbatim (subject to change)
edited by Richard Norton-Taylor
Vincent Ebrahim, Masood Khalili (Former political adviser to Commander Massoud, presently Afghanistan Ambassador to Turkey)
Daniel Rabin, Mullah Hafeez Akhond (A Taliban Commander in Kandahar)
Jemma Redgrave, Hilary Clinton (US Secretary of State)
Rick Warden, General Sir David Richards (Commander NATO/ISAF Forces—Afghanistan, 2006–07; now Head of the British Army and Chief of the Defense Staff designate)
Raad Rawi, Ahmed Rashid (Pakistani journalist, author of Taliban and Descent into Chaos)
Nicolas Kent, Director
Canopy of Stars
by Simon Stephens
Tom McKay, Sergeant Jay Watkins
Karl Davies, Private Richard Kendall
Daniel Betts, Soldier
Danny Rahim, Soldier
Rick Warden, Soldier
Jemma Redgrave, Medic
Cloudia Swann, Cheryl
Nicolas Kent, Director
Pamela Howard, Designer
David I. Taylor, Lighting
(based on original lighting by James Farncombe)
Tom Lishman, Sound
The play is set in 2010.
Scene 1: A Forward Operating Base near the peripheries of the Kajaki Dam
Scene 2: During army action in Helmand
Scene 3: The front room of a house in Levenshulme, south Manchester
