Tom Rowntree-Finlay and Bishoy Adel Makram
about the show
Blight is an online bi-lingual theatre project exploring the historic relationship between Britain, Egypt and Ireland and how the leaders of the British and Ottoman Empires responded to the Irish Famine in 1845.
Script Tom Rowntree-Finlay
Directed by Tom Rowntree-Finlay and Bishoy Adel Makram
Cinematography John Edward and Thomas Pollock
Editing by John Edward
Acting Mohamed Shaarawy, Hadi Haroun, Christine Clare and John Travers
Choreography Kiko (Keroles Malak)
Dancers Muhammad Zidan, Ahmed Jimmy, Joy Amjad and Nancy Nafi
Graphic Design Myrna Mohsin
Tom Rowntree-Finlay (UK)
Tom Rowntree-Finlay is a Northern Ireland based theatre director, writer and producer. Over the past 20 years he has created innovative theatre projects in collaborations with other artists both nationally and internationally.
As the Creative Producer for Terra Nova Productions (2014-2020), Northern Ireland’s leading intercultural theatre company, he developed a large-scale intercultural production of The Tempest involving over 250 members of Belfast’s intercultural arts community.
He has also worked internationally in Israel, Palestine, Austria and Egypt on innovative theatre and community arts projects. Most recently he wrote and produced the online theatre production Brenda’s Baby in collaboration with c21 Theatre Company.
Bishoy Adel Makram (Egypt)
Bishoy Adel Makram graduated with a BA in Fine Arts in Minya, and studied Theatre Directing at the American University in Lebanon. He has since worked across the Arab region in the fields of theatrical directing and cultural management.
Meeting Tom Rowntree-Finlay in 2016 through the Tandem Shaml Project, led to a collaboration that resulted in the creation of El Akl Theatre Festival, taking place in Belfast and Minya the following year. Following this, the theatre directors continued their partnership, producing a bi-lingual production of Shakespeare’s Anthony and Cleopatra, performed in Minya in 2018.
Bishoy Adel Makram founded Dawar El Fnoon cultural center in Minya with sonographer Mina Nasef. The organisation aims to promote art and culture in Upper Egypt, preserve heritage, provide a cultural space for artists to share their experiences, provide artists with the environment to develop their skills, and bridge the gap between artists and their audiences through cultural meetings, art festivals, workshops, etc. with partners such as the Goethe Institute, the Swiss Embassy, and the Dutch Embassy.
