The Tribe - Belvoir and Urban Theatre Projects

Overview

The Belvoir folk were so impressed with The Tribe's premiere at Sydney Festival 2015, they decided to host it themselves. But, this time around, the play will appear in backyards all over Surry Hills. Yes, real, actual backyards — as in, you'll be watching the action among barbecues and Hills Hoists, framed by rambling jasmine vines and frangipani trees.

Produced by Urban Theatre Projects and performed by Hazem Shammas (Mother Courage and Her Children, Scorched) The Tribe is based on Michael Mohammad Ahmad's novella of the same name. It tells the story of a young boy named Bani, who lives in Australia, but has a Lebanese background. In trying to make sense of how to live, he draws wisdom from his grandmother, who fled to Australia from Lebanon as part of a Muslim sect known as 'The Tribe'. Expect an captivating night of storytelling, drawing on ancient tales and truths.

"The Tribe is my attempt to counteract the limited and simplistic representation that the Arab-Australian Muslim community of Western Sydney has received to date, and to offer a broader, more intimate understanding," said Ahmad of his novella. "It is also an act of self-determination — a declaration of the right to reclaim and tell our own stories in our own way."