KUWAIT: Sulayman Al-Bassam, a distinguished writer and director from Kuwait, created the award-winning play “Mute” in December 2023. The play made its world premiere at the Tunis JTC festival, where it received the “Golden Tanit Award” for best production, the “Best Actress Award” for Hala Omran, and the “Best Text Award” for Al-Bassam himself. Inspired by the concept of rejecting verbal expression, and choosing silence as a form of utmost power, “MUTE” earns its name, reflecting alternative forms of resistance.

“Tonight’s performance is part of its ongoing tour, with shows scheduled for tonight and tomorrow night in Kuwait before heading to Beirut next month. “Mute” delves into the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion, offering a poignant and politically charged narrative accompanied by live music and a performing actress, Hala Omran, winner of Best Actress Award,” Al-Bassam told Kuwait Times.

Al-Bassam’s “Mute” explores themes of resilience in the face of escalating violence and media manipulation by realistically portraying a range of emotions performed by the leading performer Hala Omran, and live music composers, Abed Kobeissi and Ali Hout. The play symbolizes the choice of silence in the midst of political upheaval in the Arab world. The play aligns with Al-Bassam’s work with SABAB, which aims to address issues of identity, history, language, and culture, bridging national and cultural boundaries by incorporating various literary, historical, and geopolitical elements to create new dialogues within the Arab world and on a global scale.