It’s late afternoon when a Jewish woman arrives at her sister’s home in the occupied city of Ramallah. Dusk settles and with the call to prayer come neighbours, an uncle and nephew, to greet the new arrival. As night falls an unexpected curfew prompts the sharing of old stories that threaten to tear apart the fragile harmony of the sisters’ memories.
A darkly funny and intimate exploration of the balance between duty and love Welcome to Ramallah is the compelling new play from iceandfire.
“I’ve lost friends and family in England by coming here, by trying to tell them what’s happening and how it all came about, trying to tell them the other truth, your truth. Yes I’ve lost people. But I didn’t expect to lose you. ”
A new play by SONJA LINDEN and ADAH KAY
Directed by SUE LEFTON
Presented by iceandfire
Sonja Linden is an award-winning playwright whose plays have been produced on radio, on the London stage, and in regional theatres across the UK and the United States. Sonja’s play A Young Lady from Rwanda, (Metro and Timeout Critics’ Choice) launched iceandfire in 2003 and subsequently went on national tour in the UK and Ireland and has had numerous highly acclaimed productions in the USA, where it was nominated for best playwright in the 2007 NAACP awards.
Adah Kay is from a staunchly Zionist family. Between 2002-2006 she and her husband lived in Ramallah where she volunteered and worked for a number of children and human rights organisations and the Open University. Adah co-wrote Stolen Youth, (Pluto Press, 2004), based on the first hand testimonies of former child prisoners and is preparing another book on movement restrictions. She is visiting professor at the Cass Business School, City University.
CREATIVE TEAM:
Written by Sonja Linden and Adah Kay
Directed by Sue Lefton
Designed by Adrian Linford
Lighting by Jenny Cane
Sound by Emma Laxton
“A play that has serious things to say about the legacy of Israel’s founding.” The Jewish Chronicle ***
“The play’s account of the everyday perils of life under occupation, though not unfamiliar, still has the power to shock.” The Times ***
iceandfire creates compelling theatre exploring stories of displacement and conflict. Previous productions include I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a Young Lady from Rwanda and Crocodile Seeking Refuge both by Sonja Linden. In conjunction with Welcome to Ramallah iceandfire are also launching a new script, Palestine Monologues, which will be performed by our national outreach network Actors For Human Rights.
