Walaa (Loyalty) - London 2015 & 2016
Written by: Ahmed Masoud
Directed by: Richard Shannon
Designed by Clio Capelle
Performed by: James El Sharawy & Savvides
Where does loyalty lie? To country, family or political position?
Walaa is a play that explores these themes in the current Syrian crisis, described by many as 'the worst humanitarian conflict of our time'.
When Walaa, a middle aged pharmacist and government supporter living on the outskirts of Damascus, returns to collect his things from his small chemist shop, he makes a shocking discovery and is suddenly faced with a terrible choice. There is little time before the entire neighbourhood is destroyed as fighting between the regime and opposition intensifies.
Ahmed Masoud's new play delves deep into the effect of the civil war in Syria and how it is dividing people and families caught in the middle of a brutal conflict. The Syrian crisis has been one of the most tragic civil wars in recent history, with a huge number of causalities and a large percentage of the population either cut off from essential aid, displaced or imprisoned. The repercussions have been felt not only in neighbouring countries, who have been struggling with the mass waves of refugees, but also globally. As a writer from the region, Ahmed Masoud joins forces with director Richard Shannon to create an artistic response that will bring the story of the Syrian crisis closer to the U.K. As well as knowledge of the region, Ahmed has just returned from Zaatari Syrian Refugee Camp in Jordan. The play will draw on the harrowing true stories he has been told.