Kilo Batra: In Death More Radiant is a theatrical reimagining of the death of Cleopatra, the life of famed Egyptian actress Fatma Rushdie who played her, and the 1927 play by Ahmad Shawqi that dramatized her demise. This play bends the notions of time, gender, and genre to wrestle with history and its reconstructions. Kilo Batra re-imagines the world in and around Egyptian poet and playwright Ahmed Shawki's 1927 play The Death of Cleopatra and puts it directly in conversation with issues of contemporary Arab culture and beyond.
Commissioned by A Host of People and the Arab American National Museum
Written by Mariam Bazeed with Kamelya Omayam Youssef
Directed by Sherrine Azab
Set, Prop, and Projection Graphics by Dorothy Melander-Dayton
Projection Design and additional graphics by Jake Hooker
Costume Design by Levon Kafafian
Lighting Design by Chantel Gaidica
Dramaturgy by Amanda Ewing
Composed by Donia Jarrar
Stage Management by Emily Erlich and Shardai Davis
Assistant Director Rasha Almulaiki
Performers: Faith Berry, Zeina Fawaz, Chris Jakob, Sam Watson, Frank Sawa, Mariam Bazeed, and Kamelya Omayam Youssef