by Zahid Fayyaz

Fresh from acclaimed runs in New York and Edinburgh, the new writing power-house puts on the one-person monologue from actor and writer Khawla Ibraheem. The show relates the struggles of Miriam in her everyday life in Gaza, whilst Israel is taking military action.

The main concept of the show is that Miriam is aware that the army will give a ‘knock on the roof’ to warn the residents of a building that a larger bomb is about to be dropped. They will then have five minutes to get to a safe distance. To practice for this, Miriam does dry runs to see how fast and far she can run in that time. As the days of the military action continue, these attempts get more and more manic. As well as this, life in Gaza is evocatively expressed, with the limited power preventing them from showering and Miriam’s son, Nour, from watching cartoons.

Pulled from interviews with numerous people living in Gaza under these horrific and trying circumstances, this is a brilliant and moving piece of writing. Khawala is an absorbing performer for the 75 minutes’ duration of the show, powerfully putting across the desperation, strength and humour in the story. She switches between Miriam, her son and her mother effortlessly, and the interactions with the audience makes them empathise with her characters situation even more. This is an essential and well-timed snapshot of the struggles of life in Gaza.

A Knock on the Roof runs through 8 March.

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