Playground in Emergency

In these difficult times where we have been called to bear witness to the violence inflicted on the body of our kin, the question of how to do so in the most effective manner begs itself. How can we open our hearts and expose our wounds without losing agency over our narrative? How can we share our stories without becoming desensitized, or numbing our friends and allies, to the cruelty we encounter regularly? And following Paul Celan's poignant closing lines in Ashglory;

No one
Bears witness for the
Witness

How can we bear witness for the witness?

I began conceptualizing this piece 2 years ago, as I felt compelled to delve into my own history and the stories told to me that provided solace through years of war and insecurity.

Telling our stories is more important today than ever. I hope to see many of you in the audience and after the show.

The piece will run @ the Club, on 74East 4th Street,

From February 8th till 10th @ 7:30pm.
And February 11th @ 5pm.
Link in my bio.

In a dystopian future where history lies in ruins, a cyborg sends signals via ASMR inducing sounds and visuals to the present. On stage, a performer intercepts these transmissions and invites the audience to bear witness to the foundational myth of their being.

Lula19/85 & the Pearl of the Bekaa is a performance exploring martyrdom through the bygone political struggle of the left in Lebanon. Inspired by the diary of Loula Abboud, a Lebanese freedom fighter, and the fragmented memories of Rawya El Chab, the witness, this sci-fi piece brings historical events into a world of anime.

To heal the wounds of colonial wars and imagine a better tomorrow, the witness has to conjure the dead and unveil a family secret.

The show is written, directed, performed and produced by myself, in collaboration with a group of talented artists;

, sound design & composition

, co-director & stage manager

Suneela Mubayi, translation & editing

, production design
scaletta, light design

, vocalist & composition

, creative consultant

And produced with the support of .fund

With pleasure, I invite you to the premier of Epikoinonìa, a short digital collage exploring communication in the age of hyper-surveillance.
Epikoinonìa will feature 's YouTube Channel, 8pm, on January 23d.
This piece is in collaboration with .salman


And above all my two guardian angels & who spent the holidays on the computer finishing the work.
The video is 9:57 minutes long. I hope that many of you will join us online to see it.
PS: I am infinitely grateful for the space that The Exponential Festival holds for us. A space which allows artists like myself to make the mess we love to make and grapple with it.

I am very happy to invite you all to The Gambler.
This show is written and performed by myself and my friend and directed by our dearest .
The labor of friendship that was put into this project is immense and we can't wait to share it with you.
We developed the show in a residency and are grateful for their continuous support and faith in our work.

The Gambler is featured in the and will take place on June 17th, 18th, 22nd, 23d, 24th & 25th @ 7:30pm
And on June 19th @ 4:30pm

The list of people helping realize this project is heart warming and I feel blessed by their presence in my life.

Stage manager
Set & projectionsalman set construction
prop & costume
music composition
magic consultant

The link to buy tickets is in my bio.
Be many, for the door to liberation is always open for those who are willing to place a gamble on themselves.

See you soon!

Hello young people,
Your favorite grandmas are up and running (maybe sliding is more accurate.)
As you know, we had to postpone our play in January because of the Omicron surge, but now we're back! Weeeeeeeee...
If you haven't donated to our booze and powder fund yet, now is the best time to do it. You'll make us happy and get a play out of it. The link is in my bio.
Remember your grandpas fought in some war and we fought your grandpas on the home front. That should count for something, kids!

The Gambler is designed to exorcise the pandemic demons out of you, so buy your tickets from 's website

Kisses & hugs
Gertie & Doris
Bombastic Grandmas