Returning To Haifa
by Ghassan Kanafani, Adapted by Ismail Khalidi and Naomi Wallace
by Ghassan Kanafani, Adapted by Ismail Khalidi and Naomi Wallace
Returning to Haifa is a poignant stage adaptation of Ghassan Kanafani's novella that explores the emotional reunion of a Palestinian couple with their long-lost son against the backdrop of the 1948 Nakba and the complexities of identity and belonging.
About The Play
About The Play
The world premiere of the first English-language adaptation of the classic novella by Ghassan Kanafani, Returning to Haifa, adapted for the stage by Naomi Wallace and Ismail Khalidi.
A compelling story of two families – one Palestinian, one Israeli – forced by history into an intimacy they didn’t choose.
In 1948, Palestinian couple Said and Safiyya fled their home during the Nakba. Now, in the aftermath of the 1967 Six Day War, the borders are open for the first time in twenty years, and the couple dare to return back to their home in Haifa. They are prepared – of course – to find someone else living where they once did. Yet nothing could prepare Said and Safyya for the encounter they both desire and dread: the son they had to leave behind, and what he has now become…
Coinciding with the 70th anniversaries of both the Nakba or “catastrophe” – the mass dispossession of the Palestinians in 1948 – and the foundation of the State of Israel, Returning to Haifa is a unique, deeply moving play of suspense and heartbreak, where humanity and vision combine with a frontline immediacy.
This adaptation was originally commissioned by New York’s Public Theater who had committed to programming the play, but subsequently abandoned the production after political pressure from the board. It now receives its long-overdue world premiere at the Finborough Theatre, directed by Caitlin McLeod whose critically acclaimed production of Naomi Wallace’s And I And Silence sold out at the Finborough Theatre and transferred Off Broadway.
The run will be accompanied by the FINBOROUGHFORUM, a series of informal post-show discussions and debates, on Saturday 3 and 17 March 2018. All events are free to ticketholders for that evening’s performance of the play. FINBOROUGHFORUM events will be twitter friendly with live tweets from @FinboroughForum. Using the hashtag #finfor, the speakers will also answer questions posed on Twitter so everyone can be included, no matter where they are in the world. The events feature discussion with academics, writers and members of the cast and company.
RETURNING TO HAIFA POST SHOW DISCUSSIONS
Discussions are after the evening performance and are free to ticketholders for that evening’s performance.
Saturday 3 March
Q&A with members of the cast and Anni Kanafani, widow of Ghassan Kanafani, on Ghassan’s legacy and her work in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon with the foundation which bears his name.
Saturday 17 March
Q&A with playwright Naomi Wallace and Robin Kelley, Gary B. Nash Professor of American History at UCLA. Robin will discuss the connection between Palestine and black liberation in the US and both Robin and Naomi will discuss how they have influenced each others work.