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Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin

TSEGAYE GABRE-MEDHIN  (1936 - 2006)

Nationality:    Ethiopian
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    n/a


Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin, Ethiopia's Poet Laureate, was born in 1936 in Boda, in the vicinity of ambo, EthiopiA. after receiving his primary and secondary education in his country, he earned a Bachelor of Law degree from Blackstone School of Law in Chicago in 1959. From 1959 to 1960, he studied British and French experimental theatre at the Royal Court Theater in London and the Comedie Francaise in Paris. In 1971, Tsegaye was awarded a visiting research fellowship in African cultural antiquities at the University of Dakar, now known as the Cheik anta Diop University of Dakar. On the merit of the research he conducted during this fellowship, he was then granted a Fulbright Scholarship, which enabled him to tour various universities in the United States presenting lectures on Ethiopian art and literature. From 1961 to 1971, Tsegaye was artistic Director of the Ethiopian National Theatre, and editor at the office of Oxford University Press in addis ababa through 1972. In 1973, he served as General Manager of the Ethiopian National Theatre, and was later appointed Vice-Minister of Culture and Sports in 1975. a year later, Tsegaye was arrested as a result of the military government's reaction to his plays, and was imprisoned without formal charges being brought against him. In 1977, Tsegaye became assistant professor at the Department of Education of addis ababa University, and later founded the Department of Theatrical Arts where he served as director and professor for two years. Throughout his life as a prolific poet and playwright, Tsegaye has won a variety of awards including: Emperor Haile-Selassie I International Prize for amharic Literature in 1966; the Gold Mercury ad Personam award in 1982, Fulbright Senior Scholar Resident Fellowship award at New York's Columbia University in 1985; Human Rights Watch Free Expression award in New York in 1994; Honorable Poets Laureate Golden Laurel award given by the Congress of World Poets and United Poets Laureate International in Buckinghamshire in 1997. More recently, the Norwegian author's Union, together with the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Cultural affairs conferred its coveted prize, the annual Freedom of Expression Prize, on Laureate Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin. arrangements were being made for the award ceremony which was to take place here in New York sometime in March. In June 2000, the Society of Ethiopians Established in the Diaspora (SEED) awarded Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin its annual outstanding professional award in Washington DC. On the occasion of his 67th birthday in 2003, a celebration of Tsegaye's life and art was held at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC where prominent Ethiopian artists came together to pay tribute to his work and artistic legacy. Tsegaye held membership in many distinguished national and international organizations, including the African Writer's Union and the African Researcher's Union. Tsegaye embarked on his literary and artistic path at the young age of thirteen when he wrote his first play and presented it to an audience among which was the Emperor Haile-Selassie. as a playwright, he wrote, directed and produced many plays in amharic, Oromifa and English. His poems are innumerable. He has translated works of Shakespeare and Moliere into amharic. Beyond his literary endeavor, Tsegaye has also carried out anthropological research in ancient African art and mythology. In 1998, Poet Laureate Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin's failing health forced him to leave his beloved country and come to New York for treatment that was not available in EthiopiA. although his illness was serious and had taken a severe toll on his strength, Tsegaye remained undefeated throughout his ordeal. Undeterred by a weakened eyesight and a harsh regimen of medical procedures, he continued to educate and inspire through his art. Those who knew him marveled at his unwavering sense of purpose and duty. Dignified till the end, and resilient in the face of adversity, Tsegaye was revered by young and old Ethiopians around the world who saw him as a shining repository of their heritage, and a rock of the Ethiopian identity they held very dear. Poet Laureate Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin passed away in his home on February 25, 2006, surrounded by his loving family. He is survived by his wife, Woizero Lakech Bitew, and his daughters, Yodit, Mahlet, and adey; his sons ayenew, Estifanos and Hailu, and his grandchildren, Nardos, Menelik, Isaac, Nathan and Yared. He was 69 years old. Tsegaye's family would like to express their sincere gratitude to all of you here in New York and around the world who have supported him and celebrated his life. Thanks to your love and devotion which never faltered, Tsegaye's life away from home has been rich and blessed. The family are overwhelmed by your generosity, and your kindness has touched their hearts. May God bless you all!
picture by Chester Higgins

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below is a list of Tsegaye Gabre-Medhin's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

Abugida Transform         Askeyami Lijagered (The Ugly Girl)         Atsim Beyegetsu (Skeleton In Pages)         Azmari         Beig (Autumn)         Chulo (Errand Boy)         Collision Ofaltars         Doctor In Spite Of Himself, The         Enat Alem Tenu (Mother Courage         Gamo         Ha Hu Besidist Wer (A-B-C In Six Months)         Hamlet         Igni Biye Metahu (Back With A Grin)         Jorodeglf (Mumps)         King Lear         Kirar Siker (Kirar Tight-Tuned         Kosho Cigara (Cheap Cigarettes)         Listro (Shoe Shine Boy)         Macbeth         Mekdem (Preface)         Melikte Proletarian         Oda Oak Oracle         Othello         Petros         Tartuffe         Tewodros         Yekermo Sew (The Seasoned)         Yemama Zetegn Melk (Mother's Nine Faces)         Yeshoh Aklil (Crown Of Thorns)         Zeray         Zikegna Abera



Abugida Transform

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1976

Organisations:
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1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
Play/Drama

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Askeyami Lijagered (The Ugly Girl)

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1959

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
Play/Drama

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Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Atsim Beyegetsu (Skeleton In Pages)

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
addis ababa    1975

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

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Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

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Azmari

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
in English

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1964

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in Ethiopian Observer (addis ababa), vol. 10, no. 10, 1966   -

Music:
-

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Genre:
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Beig (Autumn)

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
addis ababa    1957

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Berhanena Selam, addis abada, 1962   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Chulo (Errand Boy)

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
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1st Produced:
addis ababa    1961

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
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Further Reference:
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Collision Ofaltars

Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
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1st Published:
Collings, London, 1977   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
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Doctor In Spite Of Himself, The

Synopsis:
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Notes:
Original Playwright - Moliere

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1963

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Enat Alem Tenu (Mother Courage

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Bertolt Brecht

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1975

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Berhanena Selam, addis abada, 1975   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Gamo

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1981

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
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Ha Hu Besidist Wer (A-B-C In Six Months)

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1974

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Berhanena Selam, addis abada, 1975   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Hamlet

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Shakespeare

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1968

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
addis ababa, Oxford University Press, 1972   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Igni Biye Metahu (Back With A Grin)

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1960

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Jorodeglf (Mumps)

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1959

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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King Lear

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Shakespeare

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1968

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Kirar Siker (Kirar Tight-Tuned

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1969

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Kosho Cigara (Cheap Cigarettes)

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1961

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Listro (Shoe Shine Boy)

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1960

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Macbeth

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Shakespeare

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1968

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
addis ababa, Oxford University Press, 1972   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Mekdem (Preface)

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1980

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Melikte Proletarian

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1979

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Oda Oak Oracle

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
includes A Legend of Black Peoples, Told of Gods And God, Of Hope And Love, Of Fears And Sacrifices

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1967

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
London and New York, Oxford University Press,, 1965   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Othello

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Shakespeare

1st Produced:
-    -

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
addis ababa, Oxford University Press, 1963   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Petros

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1968

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Tartuffe

Synopsis:
Period 1664, the private rogue affects every pious excellence in public - until exposed

Notes:
Original Playwright - Moliere

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1963

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
adaptation

Parts:
Male:  8            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Tewodros

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
in English

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1962

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
in Ethiopian Observer (addis ababa), vol. 10, no. 3,, 1966   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Yekermo Sew (The Seasoned)

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1966

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Berhanena Selam, addis abada, 1966   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Yemama Zetegn Melk (Mother's Nine Faces)

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1961

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Yeshoh Aklil (Crown Of Thorns)

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1958

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Berhanena Selam, addis abada, 1959   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

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Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Zeray

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
asmara, Eritrea    1981

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

Top of Page Top of Page

Zikegna Abera

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
addis ababa    1986

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   -

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Play/Drama

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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www.doollee.com comprises a comprehensive online searchable database for plays written in English since the production of Look back In Anger in 1956. Each play listing contains a playwright biography, synopsis, cast size, creative and production team for the premiere production, date and location of the first performance and much more.doollee.com not only defines the World's theatrical repertoire for the first time but also aims to revitalise that repertoire by reintroducing many lost scripts and providing a gateway for locating and clearing rights for a very large number existing scripts. We are delighted to receive information from users where our own research has been unable to locate details on the holder of a play's rights.doollee.com contains a comprehensive listing for each new play written in English produced by professional theatre companies, venues, festivals, commercial producers and once-off-producers from 1956 to the present. It includes adaptations, translations and new versions. The database also includes those plays produced by fringe (unsubsidised) companies and by semi-professional organisations, where the work is deemed to be of particular significance to the repertoire. Thus you will get help with playwright, dramatist, plays, biography, theatres, agent, synopses, cast sizes, production, published, dates, database, research.