When I Saw the Sea
Ali Chahrour
- Dance
- Lebanon
"When I saw the Sea" gives voice to migrant domestic workers in Lebanon. Navigating between exploitation and freedom, death and the provocative celebration of life, three women use their bodies to fearlessly sing a lullaby of fire, love and justice.
© Lea Skayem
Grande salle
From 14 years old
In Arabic, Amharic and English, with French and English surtitles
Direction and choreography Ali Chahrour
Performers Zena Moussa, Tenei Ahmad, Rania Jamal
Music composed and performed by Lynn Adib, Abed Kobeissy
Assistant director and choreographer Chadi Aoun
Lighting design and technical direction Guillaume Tesson
Sound designer Benoît Rave
Set design Guillaume Tesson, Ali Chahrour
Assistant to the Technical Director Pol Seif
Head of Communications Chadi Aoun
Proofreading Hala Omran
Production directors Christel Salem, Chadi Aoun
Graphism Christina Atik
French translation Marianne Noujeim
A production by Ali Chahrour | In coproduction with Festival d’Avignon, Ibsen Scope, HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin, Arab fund for arts and culture (AFAC), Al Mawred al Thaqafi, DeSingel Anvers, Domino Zagreb/Perforations Festival, Holland Festival, Théâtre Zürcher Spektakel, Théâtre Al Madina | With the support of Théâtre Beryte, L’Institut Français de Beyrouth, Wicked Solutions, WASL Productions, Beit el Laffé, Orient 499, Raseef, Beyrouth, Houna Center, Théâtre Zoukak | Thanks to Viany Ngemakoue, Sophie Ndongo, Jouma Fayé, Mariam Sesay, Sarie Teshome, Aisha Temam, Raheel Teshome, Mihret Birhane, Laurentine Mbekati, Mohana Ishak, Hussein Hajj, Abdallah Hatoum, Anthony Sahyoun, Ali Khedr, Eric Deniaud, Chrystèle Khodr, Raymond Zakaria, Hind Hamdan, Kafa, Megaphone, Seenaryo, Daraj Media, Hammana Artist House | Creation at the Festival d’Avignon from 05 to 08 July 2025.
The show is naturally accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing thanks to surtitles.