The Little Lamp

Synopsis

Another play for children at Christmas, this story is based in the Middle East and narrates the story of a princess, Amire, and her two sisters, Shareela and Bubba. When their Father dies, Amire is made queen on condition that she brings the sun into the palace; if she fails she will be trapped in a dark box. She tries to grab the sun while it is setting but to no avail and eventually gives up. Her ambitious sister Shareela is glad of this and declares herself queen. However with the help of the Djinn and Azim, a poor man searching for oil to stop his lamp from going out, she eventually realises that it is only by tearing down the walls and letting people in with their lamps that the sun will shine in the palace. It is a story about following your dreams, having courage and breaking down barriers between rich and poor. The original play was written by Palestinian writer Ghassane Kanafani, who was killed in a car bomb attack in 1972. The Little Lamp can therefore be connected with Theatre Workshop's commitment to exploring the issues in Palestine through drama with such plays as The Jasmine Road (2003).