A History of Water in the Middle East
2019
'Movement director Maria Koripas gets the women to constantly undulate and sway suggesting the flow of water, in a way that feels both organic and highly theatrical.
Alun Hood, WhatsOnStage ★ ★ ★ ★
'Through movement (expertly choreographed by Maria Koripas) song... narration...and re-enactment she [Sabrina Mahfouz] has created a dazzling tour de force of contemporary story telling.'
John O'Brien, LondonTheatre1.com ★ ★ ★ ★
Royal Court
Writer/Performer Sabrina Mahfouz
Composer/Performers Kareem Samara
Performers Laura Hannah & David Mumeni
Director Stef O’Driscoll
Movement Director Maria Koripas
Designer Khadija Raza
Lighting Designer Prema Mehta
Sound Designer Dominic Kennedy
Video Designer Charli Davis
“What form can something take without water?”
British Egyptian Sabrina Mahfouz always loved the mix of places and rivers she grew up around – Thames, Tees, Nile, Essequibo. But when she applied to be a spy, she realised that in Britain an identity not easily defined can be considered a risk, in ways she was not aware of before.
So now she’s on her own intelligence mission – to explore how the water of the Middle East has enabled British power through the ages; and how Britain still effects landscapes, lives and legacies in the Middle East today.
