Theatrical production: “I Am Not A Vase”

In 2018, Firma Alexandra Sandels once again partnered with Sharq.org to produce the play “I am Not A Vase,” a theatrical production in both Arabic and Swedish about the strength and resilience of women based on interviews with Syrian women.

The play was produced as part of a Swedish Institute-funded project that saw Sharq.Org organize theatre workshops for Syrian women living in Beirut’s Shatila refugee camp. Several of those women then formed the cast of “I Am Not A Vase” together with Beirut-based Syrian students of theatre. In January 2019, the cast toured Lebanon to put on six performances at different theatres and NGOs in Beirut, Tyre and the Bekaa Valley with over 500 people attending the performances.

The play was then translated into Swedish and a reading was performed in Stockholm in the spring of 2019 by three Syrian-Swedes together with project partner Alexandra Sandels.

Based on stories from the oral history collection: ‘Syrian Histories’

Director, Co-writer: Lina Abyad

Co-writer: Madonna Adib

Executive Producer: Reem Maghribi

Assistant Producers: Pascale Jallouf, Mona Bibi

Production Partners: Alexandra Sandels, the Swedish Institute

Translator (into Swedish): Lava Selo

Cast (Lebanon): Amina Moussa, Samah Raslan, Halima Alhaj Ali, Rania Alali, Rahaf Ismail, Aya Malah, Adibe al-Ramadan, Pascale Jallouf, Tala Nachar

Cast (Sweden): Nadia Alhaj, Lava Selo, Dalal Adi, Alexandra Sandels