In 2002 Sulayman Al-Bassam Theatre was created in Kuwait as the Arabic arm of Zaoum Theatre (formed in 1996): an international grouping of theatre practitioners, musicians and visual artists, dedicated to the production of innovative cross-cultural theatre.

Led by Kuwaiti writer/director Sulayman Al-Bassam, working alongside a core group of British and Arab performers, the company is in itself a celebration of cultural diversity. Its projects, predominantly text-led, vary hugely in scale, style and location with its recurrent themes being an examination of the relationship between the Arab world and the West. They have performed to audiences in the UK and at international festivals worldwide to much acclaim.