Popular Bahrain thespian Hannah Turner, who was recognised on King Charles III’s Birthday Honours List 2025, has officially received her medal.
An afternoon tea was hosted at the British Embassy in Manama in the presence of British Ambassador Alastair Long, who presented the royal award to Ms Turner, as well as other officials and guests.
The 50-year-old tutor and Manama Theatre Club (MTC) chairperson was honoured with the Diplomatic Service – British Empire Medal, a category that honours individuals for their ‘hands-on’ service to the community through long-term charitable activity.
She was unable to travel to Buckingham Palace in London to receive her medal this year due to the regional tensions.
“Hannah’s impact over decades in Bahrain has been seen not only in her many productions with the Manama Theatre Company and others, but on the people she has inspired and supported and her charitable endeavours,” Ambassador Long told the GDN.
“The British presence in Bahrain owes so much to the many people, like Hannah, who over the years have reflected the rich tapestry of British life here and the many cultural and pastoral traditions of which the UK is so proud,” he added.
Ms Turner, who has called the kingdom home for nearly two decades, is a longstanding member of MTC based at the British Club.
The Anglo-Irish expatriate from Manchester staged her first performance as part of the club in 2010 and took over the chair after 2014. She has produced and directed several plays, including pantomimes, and her latest production The Odd Couple, a play by Neil Simon, has recently thrilled audiences. The passionate actor and improv artist has also been part of other shows, from adaptations of classic novels like Pride and Prejudice by English author Jane Austen to short-format ‘pint-sized’ plays.
“I am so deeply grateful to receive this award though community theatre is never the work of one person. I accept it on behalf of everyone who has ever been part of Manama Theatre Club. A few nights on stage are temporary, but the process of creating something together stays with us for a lifetime,” Ms Turner remarked.
“I was unable to go to London this year due to the conflict. However, I will be travelling with my mother in May next year. The Cabinet Office Honours and Appointments Secretariat have been very kind and invited us to Buckingham Palace,” she revealed.
“It was an honour for me and my friends to be hosted by His Excellency (Ambassador Long) at the afternoon tea. Also, meeting Baca director of culture Huda has been a dream – she is an amazing artist.”
Nodding to her community streak, Ms Turner reached out to Vertical Shakespeare founder and UK television producer Jonny Wright amid the regional tensions earlier this year for Bahrain to join its Sorrow Speaks programme. Many members from MTC and community at large joined the ‘movement’, reciting lines from Shakespeare’s body of work that spoke to them in moments of crisis.
Vertical Shakespeare brings the Bard’s works to modern digital spaces like Instagram and TikTok using vertical video and Sorrow Speaks aims to give people a creative outlet to process stress, anxiety, or global crises.
MTC, formed in 1979, originally started as an ‘after-dinner party activity’, leading to the formation of The Manama Players Club, linked to the British Council, and the then British forces garrison theatre group, Bahrain Theatre group.
MTC was formed by amalgamating the two and staged its plays in the small lecture theatre at the old British Council site at the British Embassy; the first incidentally being Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. Since then, the club has staged more than 100 shows, from murder mystery dinners to musicals.
In 2011, after a legislative change requiring informal societies like the MTC to be formally linked to an expat club, the MTC came under the umbrella of the British Club, located in Umm Al Hassam, where it has since put on several shows and events.
“We were supposed to stage Dracula, which had to be cancelled due to the conflict. However, we intend to resume rehearsals in September and stage the play later in the year,” said Ms Turner, who, in addition to her role at the MTC, is also a certified teacher with a streak for charity work.
The GDN has previously reported on her humanitarian initiatives, including raising more than BD500 by swimming pool lengths for reuniting displaced Afghan and Syrian children with their families in 2021. A year prior, she launched the Clap for our Carers campaign in 2020 with her daughter Saoirse Lynch to thank healthcare professionals in Bahrain during the Covid-19 pandemic.
melissa@gdnmedia.bh
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