I am Hashem Hashem (1988) – a writer, poet, theatremaker and performer based in Beirut, Lebanon. My work explores themes of the human body, ever-evolving identity and affective politics through language and physical expression. I hold a BA in Communications Studies from the Lebanese University, and an MA in Gender Studies from SOAS, University of London. My works have been featured in theatres and festivals in Lebanon, France, Belgium, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Mexico and Nepal.
The year I stole the sun
I was selected to participate in Zoukak’s Mentorship Program where I wrote, directed and created the scenography of a new performance: “The Sun Thief”, starring Lebanese artist and Baladi dancer, Alexandre Paulikevitch. The performance tackles themes of political surveillance, the loss of nature, and the prospects of poetic resistance. It opened at Zoukak in October 2023, and was staged there again in June 2024.
Touring with my first solo performance
I presented my first solo performance – “I am the same, yet so different” – at Mansion Beirut, directed by Patricia Nammour. A 50-minute-long piece, this performance navigates the parallelisms between bodily transition and Beirut’s transformation. The performance was featured at several international festivals including Mots à Défendre (MAD2) and Passaporta festivals in Brussels (2023), La Bâtie–Festival de Genève (2023), and Les Singulier·es Festival at the Centquatre Paris (2024). In Lebanon, the performance was staged at Beit Beirut (2023), Zoukak (July 2023) and Nehna Wel Amar Wel Jiran Festival at Hammana Artist House (August 2023).
Exploring theatre in Europe
I was selected to join both the R-EVOLUTION Project in Italy, and the ArtEvolution program by Goethe Institut in Lebanon. That’s when I explored my passion for theatre and delved into that world. These two programs gave me the chance to explore a plethora of theatre practices in Italy and Germany, and to meet a group of artists and theatremakers of diverse backgrounds and practices. I still maintain valuable friendships with many of them.
Falling "for" the stage
I had co-created a performance with Alexandre, titled “The Last Distance”, where we discovered a shared passion and vision for political theatre that amplifies queer voices and challenges normative narratives. This performance was staged at Station Beirut and Ashkal Alwan in Lebanon, and Outburst Art Festival in Belfast (2018).
I have been going places with my poetry
I have been invited to perform my poetry at art festivals in Mexico City, Tunisia, Kathmandu and Belfast. In a bid to heal, following the horrific Beirut port explosion on 4 August 2020, I co-created and presented “The Sound that Remains” poetry*soundscape set with DJ and sound designer Carol O’Hair at Sursock Museum (2021).
When I’m not focused on creating theatre, I work on my debut novel and develop my creative writing world. My writings have been published by various platforms including Assafir, Jeem, and Megaphone.
Recently, I launched a page on Instagram, Hashem’s Apple, aiming to help people develop their creative writing skills in Arabic, and find inspiration to unleash their creativity!