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Them
across the sea that separates us from them
life waits for us on the other side
and I can't go there without you …
In an unnamed city at war, five young people count down the days before a boat leaves for Europe. Who will leave, who will stay, and what will their choices cost them?
From the writer of the award-winning Tales of a City by the Sea.
Winner of the Green Room Independent Theatre Award for Writing 2020
Shortlisted for the NSW and Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2020
'A drama dappled with humanity and humour amid the horrors of war […] The inextinguishable spirit of laughter, of the music of life in the face of desolation, is crucial to both the play's poignancy and appeal.'— Sydney Morning Herald
life waits for us on the other side
and I can't go there without you …
In an unnamed city at war, five young people count down the days before a boat leaves for Europe. Who will leave, who will stay, and what will their choices cost them?
From the writer of the award-winning Tales of a City by the Sea.
Winner of the Green Room Independent Theatre Award for Writing 2020
Shortlisted for the NSW and Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2020
'A drama dappled with humanity and humour amid the horrors of war […] The inextinguishable spirit of laughter, of the music of life in the face of desolation, is crucial to both the play's poignancy and appeal.'— Sydney Morning Herald
65 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 27, 2025
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 28, 2025
When Cactus Pear For My Beloved was longlisted for the Stella Prize, I remembered that I had this play on my shelves, from an Adelaide Writer's Festival inspired purchase.
A play set, the notes say "somewhere in the Arab world", about a young family living among the rubble and bombing going on around them. Nursing baby, negotiating love and sourcing food, the couple are living on the edge of danger and uncertainty.
The friends and family of this little family unit are also navigating this incredibly unimaginably dire circumstance, seeking any and every option to find safety and a better life.
So much packed into a play read. Would have been incredible to see performed - although I think we are witnessing these moments and aftermaths every day right now via our phones.
A play set, the notes say "somewhere in the Arab world", about a young family living among the rubble and bombing going on around them. Nursing baby, negotiating love and sourcing food, the couple are living on the edge of danger and uncertainty.
The friends and family of this little family unit are also navigating this incredibly unimaginably dire circumstance, seeking any and every option to find safety and a better life.
So much packed into a play read. Would have been incredible to see performed - although I think we are witnessing these moments and aftermaths every day right now via our phones.
Displaying 1 of 1 review