Abdullah Al-Saadawi

Abdullah al-Saadawi (; 1948 – 3 February 2024) was a Bahraini actor, director, and playwright.

Al-Saadawi won the Directing Award at the Cairo International Festival for Contemporary and Experimental Theatre for his production of the play الكمامة (“The Gag”). He was a founding member of several regional theatre companies, including Al-Sawari Theatre in Bahrain, the Al-Sadd Theatre in Qatar, and the Sharjah National Theatre in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

Al-Saadawi's debut in theatre came in the mid-1960s, when his play, الحمار ومصقلة الإعدام (“The Donkey and the Executioner”), was directed by Jamal al-Saqr with some edits by the latter as مؤلف ضاع في نفسه (“A Writer Lost in Himself”). Soon afterwards, he helped the People's Union Theatre produce its first play in his native Muharraq, a production of “Antigone”.

Al-Saadawi died on 3 February 2024, at the age of 76.

Career + Theater career and filmography Title Type Role in production Theatre company Year مؤلف ضاع في نفسه (A Writer Lost in Himself) Play Writer 1964 انتيجون (Antigone) Play Actor People's Union Theatre 1970 بيت ألاشباح (Ghost House) Play Actor Al-Sadd Theatre 1973 خلود (Immortality) Play Actor Al-Sadd Theatre 1974 علتنا فينا (Our Illness is Within Us) Play Actor Al-Sadd Theatre 1974 الفريج (Al Freej) Play Actor Sharjah National Theatre 1975 المشنقة (The Gallows) Play Director Sharjah National Theatre 1978 خبز خبزت إكلة (Bread, I Baked a Meal) Play Director Karzakan Sports Club 1986 سكوريال (Scorial) Play Director Al-Sawari Theatre 1993 الكمامة (The Mask) Play Director Al-Sawari Theatre 1994 الرهائن (Hostages) Play Director Al-Sawari Theatre 1995 ليلة عرس رشدان (Rashdan's Wedding Night) Play Actor Awal Theatre 1997 الكلمة الطيبة (The Good Word) TV series Actor Bahrain TV 1997 الطفل البريء (The Innocent Child) Play Director Al-Sawari Theatre 1999 مواطن طيب (Good Citizen) Play Director Bahrain TV 2003 ابني المتعصب (My Fanatical Son) Play Director Al-Sawari Theatre 2003 الشجرة التي سرقت اوراقها (The Tree Whose Leaves Were Stolen) Film Director 2004 غبار (Dust) Film Director 2008 أين الطريق (Where is the road?) TV series Actor Qatar Television 2008 سماء ثانية (A Second Sky) TV series Actor Sabah Pictures 2011