across the sea that separates us from them
life waits for us on the other side
and I can't go there without you …
In an unnamed city at war, five young people count down the days before a boat leaves for Europe. Who will leave, who will stay, and what will their choices cost them? From the writer of the award-winning Tales of a City by the Sea.
Winner of the Green Room Independent Theatre Award for Writing 2020
Shortlisted for the NSW and Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2020
'A drama dappled with humanity and humour amid the horrors of war […] The inextinguishable spirit of laughter, of the music of life in the face of desolation, is crucial to both the play's poignancy and appeal.'—Sydney Morning Herald
SAMAH SAWABI is an author, playwright and poet and a recipient of multiple awards both nationally and internationally. Her theatre credits include the critically acclaimed award-winning plays Tales of a City by the Sea and THEM. In 2020 Samah received the Green Room Award for Best Writing in the independent theatre category and was shortlisted for both the NSW and Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. With Stephen Orlov Samah edited the anthology Double Exposure: Plays of the Jewish and Palestinian Diasporas, winner of the Patrick O’Neill Award and she co-authored I Remember My Name: Poetry by Samah Sabawi, Ramzy Baroud and Jehan Bseiso, edited by Vacy Vlazna, winner of the Palestine Book Award. Samah received a Doctor of Philosophy from Victoria University for her thesis titled Inheriting Exile, transgenerational trauma and the Palestinian Australian Identity. Samah has recently published the memoire Cactus Pear for My Beloved (Penguin 2024).
| Cast Info | 2F, 6M, (doubling available) |
| Genres | Drama |
| Themes | Political/Social themes |
| Audiences | Adult |
| Extent | 58 |
| Edition | CTS |
| Size | 137 x 210 mm |