‘I was scared of the bees at first, but now, they make me feel alive. They are like a society in complete harmony with itself. Not like people at all, but maybe what people have the potential to be’

Nuri is a beekeeper; his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo – until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape. On their terrifying journey, they must face the pain of their own unbearable loss alongside incredible danger. Above all, they must journey to find each other again. This compassionate and beautiful play is a story of connection – between friends, families and strangers.

Winner of the Aspen Words Award, Runner up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and one of The Times top three bestselling books of 2020, Christy Lefteri’s best-selling novel has its world premiere in a brand new adaptation by Nesrin Alrefaai and Matthew Spangler who adapted our sell-out production of The Kite Runner. The production will be directed by Olivier Award winning Miranda Cromwell (Death of a Salesman – Young Vic, Piccadilly Theatre and Broadway).

Cast

Alfred Clay
Nuri Alfred Clay
Roxy Faridany
Afra Roxy Faridany
Joseph Long
Mustafa, Moroccan Man Joseph Long
Aram Mardourian
Nadim, Fotakis, Ali Aram Mardourian
Daphne Kouma
Immigration Officer, Dr Faruk, Dahab Daphne Kouma
Nadia Williams
Angeliki, Lucy Fisher Nadia Williams
Elham Mahyoub
Mohammed/Sami Elham Mahyoub
Fanos Xenofós
NGO Worker, Immigration Officer Fanos Xenofós
Lily Demir
NGO Worker Lily Demir

Creative Team

Director Miranda Cromwell
Designer Ruby Pugh
Lighting Designer Ben Ormerod
Sound Designer Tingying Dong
Film Designer Ravi Deepres
Composer Elaha Soroor
Casting Director Christopher Worrall
Voice and Dialect Coach Khaled Abunaama
Voice Coach Marianne Samuels
Cultural Consultant Nesrin Alrefaai
Dramatherapist Nikki Disney
Associate Director Nadia Emam
Associate Film Designer Luke Unsworth
Video Programmer Edward Freeman
Company Stage Manager Ben Gray
Deputy Stage Manager Charlotte Jones
Assistant Stage Manager Dan McVey

Reviews

“SPARKLINGLY ASSURED”
4 rating
The Telegraph
“BEAUTIFULLY ACTED”
The Times
“WONDERFULLY WRITTEN AND PERFORMED”
whatsonstage.com
“EXCELLENCE ABOUNDS - Nottingham Playhouse is definitely on another winner ”
britishtheatreguide.com
“A PROFOUNDLY MOVING TRIUMPH”
5 rating
theatreandtonic.co.uk

Tickets

Groups

Groups of 10 or more can save up to 20% on full price tickets.

Discount will be automatically applied on the ‘Checkout’ screen. Book up to 20 tickets online with the groups discount, discounts vary per performance and are subject to availability.

See the list of discounted performances on the Group Discounts Page.

Have a large group looking to attend? Please email tickets@nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk and a member of the team will be able to assist.

Schools

Show tickets for school pupils are £12 each (one teacher goes free with every 10 tickets purchased). Find out more about School Visits here and book by calling Box Office on 0115 941 9419.

Access

We provide British Sign Language Interpretation, Captioning and Audio Description for this production. Everyone is welcome to attend accessible performances, customers experience the full show including the accessible services. Find out more about Access at Nottingham Playhouse here.