Anna Asli Suriyah (I Come From Syria)- New York
Saturday, August 09, 2014 through Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Presented by Polybe + Seats
6917 5th Ave, 2nd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11209
Between Ovington Avenue & Bay Ridge Avenue
"Habibti, I feel I need to be there."
Length: 1 hr 30 mins
Intermission: None
Seating: General Admission
You choose your seats when you get to the theater.
Polybe + Seats presents an immersive night of theater, blending scenes drawn from personal stories and news reports with elements of fantasy and Arabic folktales. Beit Jeddo will be transformed into a Syrian banquet hall, with the action moving from Aleppo to a refugee camp on the Turkish border to the U.S. and back. Our multi-national, multi-lingual cast presents a show that highlights the difficult choices Syrian and Syrian-American people must make as they grapple with the current crisis, and celebrates the drive to stay connected over great distances and barriers.
“The inspiration for creating this piece,” says Sakaan, “is that I realized that as a theater artist I have an opportunity to tell a story that’s not being told, of people who are actually experiencing this crisis from the inside out. Creating this show with my theater company is a celebration of the power and the freedom I have to tell this story. Instead of denying what’s going on, or disengaging from the conversation, I consider it my responsibility to make this play as an American and as the daughter of an immigrant who left his homeland to gain access to freedoms he couldn’t have in Syria.”
“Collaborating with Sarah on this production is thrilling,” says Brater.“Her vision combines personal experience and family history with traditional Arabic storytelling, music and ritual to bring an international humanitarian crisis to our attention. Our fantastic production team is making work that is moving, funny, surprising and exciting. We look forward to welcoming audiences”
The team
Conceived by Sarah Badiyah Sakaan with Jessica Silsby Brater
Written by Sarah Badiyah Sakaan with the company
Directed by Jessica Silsby Brater
Produced by Katie Naka and Polybe + Seats
Featuring Ayse Eldek, Tom Giordano, Nuah Oryzel, Sarah Badiyah Sakaan & Pascale Seigneurie
Set and Object Designer: Dan Soule
Lighting Designer: Natalie Robin
Costume Designers: Karen Boyer and Bevan Dunbar
Sound Design and Musical Composition: Soraya Odishoo
Choreographic Consultant and Movement Coach: Lindsay Torrey
Stage Manager and Assistant Director: Naomi Boyce
Assistant Stage Manager: Emily Schwerdtfeger
Accessibility Note: There is one flight of stairs to the performance area; the performance space is not wheelchair-accessible.
