Oranges & Stones
Unity Theatre, Liverpool

AS part of the Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, Tamasha and Shubbak presented to a full house the bold and visionary Palestinian Ashtar Theatre’s production of Oranges & Stones, a play without words, told solely through physical action and original music. 

On the stage floor, created from alternating oranges and stones, a large circle represents the abode where a Palestinian woman lives plus the produce from her land. She lives alone and appears happy. 

Then, without warning, an older man emerges from the dark backdrop carrying a huge, almost empty suitcase, steps into her area of the circle. She is surprised, unsure. Seeing a jug of water, the man wants some. She obliges. He gulps it down, asks for more, continues guzzling her precious commodity, and tries to wrestle the jug from her. 

He then shifts his case into her terrain, unpacks photographs, family clothing and ceremoniously hands the Palestinian woman a paper scroll which she unrolls and reads. In a state of utter shock, she determinedly hands it back, which increases the man’s aggression, resulting in a wrestling match that leaves her flat on the floor, injured. 

She tries to remain calm, stays sitting on the floor, starts a game of backgammon, a game created some 5,000 years ago and played extensively in Mesopotamia and Persia. The man comes and sits opposite, throws out the backgammon pieces, takes over and replaces them with big, black chess pieces — king, queen, bishop, knight. 

The drama continues with many symbolic incidents such as chalking out territory, cultural clashes and ownership of resources. He is now firmly in charge, controlling everything. She picks up a knife but cannot bring herself to kill him. Instead she writes everything down in her notebook. He snatches this from her, reads it, sneers, tears out pages, folds one into a paper aeroplane, aims it at the audience. The play ends with all elements on the stage in a complete mess. 

This play has to be taken in the context of the Balfour Declaration of 1917 and its legacy. Plus, two years later, when Britain was entrusted with the temporary administration of Palestine which meant acting on behalf of both Jewish and Arab inhabitants which it repeatedly failed to do. 

Oranges & Stones is totally compelling, conveying deeply moving images of occupation and settlement in Palestine spanning over 75 years, made even more significant and poignant in the light of the present conflict in Gaza. 

When the play ends, the two actors take questions and speak to us. We are told how the stage floor at the end is the reality of their lives. “Can we really understand where we are going?” they ask. “What is the future? They ban us from having a parliament and then say we are not democratic.”

Symbolising deeper issues, it’s been a long time since I have seen a theatre performance as powerful as this, especially considering not a word is spoken, with story, action, emotions conveyed dramatically through music and movement. This play will stay with me for a long time. 

Totally compelling. 

Runs until Saturday July 27 at Theatro Technis, London NW1. Box office: theatrotechnis.com.