OMAR AND DAWN
By James Elazzi
JULY 2019
WORLD PREMIERE
Omar, a first-generation Lebanese Muslim Australian, is in and out of foster homes. Hungry for a warm bed and determined not to return to a life on the streets, he reluctantly agrees to be placed with 80-year-old Dawn. His best friend Ahmed has been rejected by his family for being gay and now lives under a bridge, working the local beats as a sex-worker. As Ahmed’s mental health deteriorates, Omar is determined to forge a better life for them both.
Unflinching and unapologetic, James Elazzi paints a searing portrait of culture, sexuality and isolation. In a howl of rage and love he asks: Where do we find refuge when the world seems to have forgotten us?
Apocalypse, Green Door and bAKEHOUSE partner to present the first production of this fearless new and urgent voice in Australian playwriting.
CREATIVE TEAM
Written by James Elazzi
Directed by Dino Dimitriadis
Produced by Apocalypse and Green Door Theatre Co
Producer Leila Enright
Producing Associate Bernadette Fam
Lighting Design Benjamin Brockman
Sound Design Ben Pierpoint
Production Design Aleisa Jelbart
Stage Manager Hannah Crane
Production Photography Robert Catto
Featuring Maggie Blinco, Antony Makhlouf, Lex Marinos and Mansoor Noor
CRITTERS
“When Makhlouf and Noor interact onstage, they bring a raw physicality and brutality to their performances which underscores the bitterness and rage they heap onto themselves and the world around them.” - Timeout
“Blinco is wonderfully complex as Dawn: determined, self-possessed and compassionate but nobody’s fool.” - SMH
“ an important story delivered with an inventive simplicity.” - Broadwayworld
“Omar and Dawn is a gripping, economical and emotionally affecting work of drama and this production showcases it expertly.” - Audrey Journal
“a brave and welcome voice for the Australian stage…an exciting production that delivers an enthralling, illuminating drama of unrelenting toughness and humanity” - Stagenoise
“Elazzi’s writing is deeply insightful, exquisite in its ability to put to action, and to words, parts of life that we habitually avoid. There is a fearlessness in its interrogation of the taboo” - Suzygoessee