Red Oak Performing Troupe artists will be in residency in HAH- Lebanon from 10-15 September 2018. The residency programme will end with the performance “The Diary of a Mulberry Tree” on 15 September 2018.

Youth from the village of Hammana will be invited to be play in the performance. One of our objectives is to involve the youth and civil society in the region/country where the performance takes place. This interactive aspect gives new dimensions which, we believe, enrich the meaning of our mission.

About the performance:

Do trees have a memory? Do they have consciousness? Do they communicate with their environment? Can they hear, smell and feel? How do they respond emotionally to humans? Do they feel pain or experience joy or sadness? What is our responsibility as humans towards the nature and environment in today’s digital age?

Inspired by the bloody events of the Lebanese civil war and by Eastern philosophy, this performance is about a mulberry tree telling the story of its relation to its surroundings. The tree Pyramus unveils its secrets with the Zanzalakht tree Thisbe and humans: it whispers its joys, fears and angers. Through its story, we will learn the deeply moving stories of the people who interacted with the tree and lived around it. The mulberry tree, central in the life of the characters, has borne witness to the most intimate details of their daily lives.

This performance is inspired by the lessons drawn from history and reflected through dance, poetry, narration, music, where art and nature blend harmoniously to create bodies telling the “Diary of a Mulberry Tree”.

Participating Artists:

• Nadine Abou Zaki, Writer and Director
• Jean-Paul Mehansio, Choreographer and dancer
• Bshara Atallah, Assistant Director and costume designer
• Dana Mikhail, Performer
• Rouaida al Ghali, Performer
• Tony Elieh, Musician