Press

Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival brings RIOT to Unity

Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival presents
A Cloud Nine and ARTS UK touring production
RIOT
by Peter Mortimer
Friday 18 and Saturday 19 July 2008
Unity Theatre

Now in its seventh year, the Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival (11-27 July 2008) is firmly established as one of the most popular event on the city's cultural calendar. The festival is the only one of its kind in the UK and the 2008 programme has lined up a spectacular two week long celebration with over 30 events taking place throughout Liverpool during the city's 2008 Capital of Culture celebrations.

The programme features a host of cultural activity from across the Arab world in the fields of visual arts, theatre, music, poetry, literature, dance, film and food which take place in a variety of venues.

One of the highlights of this year's programme is a special production of RIOT (Fri 18 July, Sat 19 July, 7.30pm, Unity Theatre), a critically acclaimed satire and love story which recalls the 1930 Yemeni seamen's riot in South Shields.

During the disturbances a police officer was stabbed and more than 20 Yemenis were later deported from the country. The play is relevant to today's ethnic tensions and tells an important story about a little-known piece of social history.

Playwright and former journalist Peter Mortimer says "The play tries to understand what caused this riot. The Arabs got blamed for high levels of unemployment at the time and they were the scapegoats."

Mortimer, who spent three years researching the play including undertaking a three week trek through Yemen itself, was given a special award by Yemeni Voice magazine.

The controversial piece is directed by Darren Palmer.

"An astounding piece of work. A genuinely brilliant piece of theatre"
Newcastle Evening chronicle

RIOT
Fri 18 July, Sat 19 July, 7.30pm
Unity Theatre
£8.00 / £6.00 concessions. To book tickets visit unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk or call 0151 709-4988

RIOT is sponsored by Unison North West

For further press information/interviews/photographs please call Adrian Pennington on 07737 970 930 penningtonadrian@hotmail.com.

Festival programme and ticket information call 0151 702 5324

Notes to editors:
The Bluecoat and Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival
Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival is now in its seventh successive year. The event started as a partnership between Liverpool Arabic Centre and the Bluecoat and over the years has grown to involve more partners from the city's arts and Arabic communities. The Bluecoat reopened earlier this year following a £12.5m redevelopment, and the LAAF remains a key part of the organisation's activities and reflects the diverse nature of the Bluecoat's programme. LAAF is at the heart of the Bluecoat's artistic programme presenting the best of new, innovative local and international visual art and live art along with contemporary dance, music and literature events.
www.thebluecoat.org.uk

The Liverpool Arabic Centre
LAC is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee based in the Toxteth area of Liverpool. The LAC works alongside the Yemeni and Arabic speaking communities and those interested in Arabic culture and language in the Liverpool area. Through the facilitation and provision of community development and activity their mission is to contribute to the relief of poverty and improve health and education within the Yemeni/Arabic community. They also aim to strengthen the awareness of Yemeni Arabic Culture and celebrate and promote all aspects of Arabic history, language cultural heritage and identity.
www.liverpoolarabiccentre.org.uk