»The complexity I’ve lived with all my life has forced me to be alone with my position. If I’m already alone anyway, why not be alone in front of an audience?«
Yousef Sweid, born in Haifa, is a Palestinian Israeli actor – a person who grew up between two worlds and has always grappled with that complexity. Following the events of 7/October 2023 and the war in Gaza, this monologue sheds light on current developments and dares to take a perspective which doesn’t reduce everything to black and white. It searches for the human, for a third narrative, which creates connections where there’s nothing but divisions. In his play, Sweid talks about his life between two cultures, two narratives, two realities. In the process, he interweaves personal anecdotes and political reflection. From funny stories about life in Berlin to flashbacks to his childhood as an Arabic kid from a Christian family in a Jewish kindergarten, he provides insights into a reality which is rarely in the spotlight. Yousef Sweid’s new work is comedic, honest, moving. But it also quickly makes it clear that it’s much more than just an autobiographical one-man show. Between the River and the Sea is a plea for dialogue, for telling our stories and listening. An invitation to embrace complexity and to witness the story of a life that hasn’t picked an easy side.
