17 June: 3 – 6pm
The Ditch, Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT

How would an all-women cast of Syrian refugees interpret Euripides’ great play about war today? 25 women from Syria fleeing the conflict, find themselves in Jordan with nothing, no homeland and no hope. Film director, Yasmin Fedda, follows the birth of a play and documents the women, their interpretation and process. In this Learning Lab we spoke with Fedda about the ‘Trojan Women’ project conducted in Amman, Jordan (co-produced by Charlotte Eagar and William Stirling).

The project uses participatory storytelling and public performance to promote understanding between refugees and host communities in Jordan. In the Queens of Syria, Fedda captures a transformative journey through a mix of quiet observation, direct interviews, and footage of the refugee women’s lives. We witness the women telling eloquent and moving personal stories of what it means to be caught up in the conflict, revealing historic entanglements with the Euripides’ tragedy alongside rich exchanges with, dramaturge, Omar Abu Saada, and acting coach, Nanda Mohammad.

Queens of Syria  premiered at the Barbican on 16 July, 2015.

Respondent: Gillian Gordon, RHUL

Image: Queens of Syria, Director, Yasmin Fedda 2015

Learning Labs form part of the Out of Place Action-Research Platform (a project led by Counterpoints Arts’ Learning Lab, in partnership with Royal Holloway, University of London and FilmAid).