photo credit: Christophe Raynaud De Lage, Kassim Dabaji
In Lebanon and many other Arab countries, migrant workers must submit to the binding laws of the kafala system, an exploitative and often abusive legal method of binding immigrants’ lives to the whims of their individual employers. When I Saw the Sea opens the doors to the nightmares of this system and to some of their untold stories. Over the years, hundreds of migrant workers have died in Lebanon due to suicide, domestic violence, being abandoned under the bombs during the war, as well as from abuse linked to this oppressive system and its accompanying racial discrimination within Lebanese society. These tragedies become even more pronounced during times of crisis, when the most marginalized are often abandoned on the streets: homeless, unpaid and without identification. Even so, some of the women who have survived these harrowing experiences have chosen to remain and become activists against the legal system that has suppressed them.
This performance brings together activists Rania, Zena, and Tenei to explore the struggles, resilience and heroism of migrant domestic workers. This theatrical event, richly laced with dance and music from instrumentalist Abed Kobeissy and singer Lynn Adib, addresses themes of injustice and resistance. When I Saw the Sea reflects the daily lives of workers within the context of the country’s recent economic collapse, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beirut port explosion, ongoing war and mass displacement. This work, inspired by real events, seeks to redefine the concept of heroism. Zena, Tenei, and Rania take the stage, dancing not only their own real stories but also those of many others who stand at the intersection of a burning land and the Mediterranean Sea.
When I Saw the Sea is performed in Arabic and Amharic with English surtitles.
“Searing, essential work… not to be recommended lightly. An encounter with dignity.” – Critique Théâtre
CREDITS
Direction and Choreography: Ali Chahrour
Performers: Zena Moussa, Tenei Ahmad, Rania Jamal
Music Composers and Performers: Lynn Adib and Abed Kobeissy
Assistant Direction and Assistant Choreographer: Chadi Aoun
Light Design and Technical Director: Guillaume Tesson
Assistant to Technical Director: Pol Seif
Sound Designer: Benoît Rave
Scenography: Guillaume Tesson and Ali Chahrour
Production Directors: Christel Salem and Chadi Aoun
Communication Manager: Chadi Aoun
Proofreading: Hala Omran
Producer: Ali Chahrour
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Beirut native choreographer and dancer Ali Chahrour weaves a gestural language, freed from Western codes and shaped by the complexities of politics, faith and history, that echoes the soul of his culture. Chahrour came to prominence with his “Death Trilogy” – Fatmeh (2014), Leila’s Death (2015) and May he Rise and smell the fragrance (2017) – which summoned the gravitas of ancient funeral liturgies juxtaposed with sharp modernity. His second series of work, “Love,” including Night (2019), Told by my Mother (2021), and The Love Behind My Eyes (2022), won him the ZKB Patronage prize at the Züricher Theater Spektakel, before it concluded in 2023 with Iza Hawa. Combining lyrical poetry, raw emotion and tightly intertwined bodies, Chahrour crafts a vivid tapestry of human connection that overcomes national boundaries. Over the past two decades, his work has toured extensively across the world, establishing him as one of the leading voices of contemporary Arab performance. His performances have been presented at Festival d’Avignon, Holland Festival, FOG Triennale Milano, Züricher Theater Spektakel, FTA Montreal, HAU Berlin, Alkantara Lisbon, deSingel Antwerp, La Bâtie Geneva, SIFA Singapore, ITFoK Kerala, and MITsp São Paulo, among many others.
FUNDING + SUPPORT
Originally Co-Produced by Le Festival d’Avignon, Ibsen Scope, HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin, Arab Fund for arts and culture (AFAC), Al Mawred al Thaqafi, deSingel Antwerp, Domino Zagreb at Perforations Festival, Holland Festival, Zürcher Theater Spektakel and Al Madina Theater.
Created with the support of Beryte Theater, L’Institut Français de Beyrouth, Wicked Solutions, WASL Productions, Beit el Laffé, Raseef, Beirut, Houna center and Orient 499.
Special thanks to Kafa, Megaphone, Daraj Media, Hammana Artist House, Zoukak Theatre, Seenaryo, Mohana Ishak, Hussein Hajj, Abdallah Hatoum, Anthony Sahyoun, Ali Khedr, Eric Deniaud, Chrystèle Khodr, Raymond Zakaria, Hind Hamdan, Viany Ngemakoue, Sophie Ndongo, Jouma Fayé, Mariam Sesay, Sarie Teshome, Aisha Temam, Raheel Teshome, Mihret Birhane and Laurentine Mbekati.
This presentation of When I Saw the Sea was made possible through the generous support of the JE Commission.
VENUE NOTES + ACCESSIBILITY
The Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10003
By Subway: West Side – R/W to the 8th Street Station; East Side – 6 to Astor Place Station
By Bus: M2, M3, or M8 to 8th Street and 4th Avenue; M5 or M6 to 8th Street and Broadway; M15 to 2nd Avenue and 9th Street; M101 or M102 to 8th Street and Cooper Union
By Car: Exit the FDR Drive at Houston Street, drive west to Lafayette Street and turn right. Or, drive down Broadway to 4th Street, turn left on 4th Street and then again on Lafayette Street
Venue Access
Learn more about Accessibility Services for People with Disabilities. If you have additional questions, need assistance, or an accommodation, please feel free to speak to a member of our staff at any point during your visit or contact us at accessibility@publictheater.org.
Appropriate Age Range
Appropriate for Mature Audiences. No one under 14 will be admitted.
Content Warnings
When I Saw the Sea addresses themes and encompasses themes that may evoke strong emotions. The work utilizes theatrical haze and loud sounds.
SCHEDULE
Tuesday, January 19 at 7:30pm
Wednesday, January 20 at 7:30pm
Thursday, January 21 at 7:30pm
Friday, January 22 at 7:30pm
Saturday, January 23 at 7:30pm
Sunday, January 24 at 1pm
VENUE
Martinson Hall
The Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10003
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