I Know Not - A Night of Sufi Stories

Why do dervishes whirl? Why is the mule so fond of the camel? And is she really going out with him? Some questions have been asked forever, and most are actually asking something else entirely....
Simultaneously ancient and contemporary, this is a night of mystics, forgotten faiths, fairytales and inklings. Join us on the other side of the mirror...

Widely renowned for her epic performances of the Arabian Nights & the Hilali mythic cycle, this is a chance to encounter a more intimate side of Chirine El Ansary's work - as we take the lights down low and draw the audience close, for a night of stories, humour, and things that no-one can quite put their finger on.

CHIRINE EL ANSARY
Cairo born, and Le Coq and Goldsmith’s trained in Paris and London - Chirine El Ansary is a storyteller and physical performer living in Egypt and France, and working in French, English and Arabic. Chirine was one of the first performers to perform in the ancient buildings in the heart of the old city of Cairo, and in the markets and old palaces of Damascus and Aleppo. Today she is an international storyteller and has performed in cities diverse as Sana’a, Nairobi, Zanzibar, Johannesburg, Rome, Naples, Rotterdam and Paris… and made her mark in the UK at the Barbican and Soho theatres.

Her work includes performances of The Arabian Nights; her remarkable adaptation of the Banu Hilali epic (premiered at the Barbican in 2005); experimental movement solos based on Italo Calvino's prose; Sufi tales and performance poetry. She also works as a radio actress, featuring in productions such as the Naguib Mahfouz trilogy, on BBC Radio 4, and recordings of her own storytelling for Radio Monte Carlo-Moyen Orient.

THE CRICK CRACK CLUB
The UK's premiere performance storytelling programmer and promoter, working with the finest performance storytellers, developing audiences, supporting artists and collaborating with venues across the UK and Europe.

WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING
'Mesmerizing! The Crick Crack Club weaves a web of enchantment' Time Out
'Storytelling wizards' Londonist
'The UK's most vivid and exciting storytelling organisation' Ian McMillan, The Times