Two Plays by Ahmad Meree, in Arabic with English Surtitles, in Toronto
Two plays by Syrian playwright Ahmad Meree, in Arabic with English surtitles, made the “Now Toronto” list of 15 theatre shows to see in 2020:
The double bill of “Adrenaline” and “Suitcase” is set to appear at Theatre Passe Muraille. It’s scheduled to run from January 16 through February 1.
Meree’s star has risen quickly in Toronto; his solo show “Adrenaline” debuted at Toronto’s SummerWorks in 2018. That work focuses on a refugee on his first New Year’s Eve in Canada, remembering his life in Syria. In a review from August 2018, Debbie Fein-Goldbach writes, “Adrenaline clocks in at a mere 35 minutes and Aleppo-born actor/playwright Ahmad Meree makes every moment remarkable in this searing solo work.”
“Suitcase” was previously staged in January 2019; it “follows the year-long response to the playwright’s real life experiences as an artist immigrating from Syria.”
From the artists: “Suitcase, written by Ahmad Meree, is a year-long response to real life experiences as an artist immigrating from Syria. In this play we are asked to consider the lives of refugees and the series of liminal spaces they inhabit. It’s about belonging and possession and all the things that we leave behind.”
The script was translated by Priscilla Jamal.
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