EXERCISES FOR A POSSIBLE RETURN
تمارين على عودة محتملة
Collective Ma’louba
Two years after the fall of the Syrian regime and celebrating ten years of creating ‘theatre in exile’, Syrian Collective Ma’louba (Mudar Alhaggi, Wael Kadour, Amal Omran, Mohammad Alrashi) are haunted by thoughts of a possible ‘return’. The voices in their adopted countries to return are also getting louder.
They gather and discuss, compete, contradict one another, reconcile, and show solidarity. They find themselves within shared stories about possible futures: their individual futures, the future of their homeland, the story of theatre in exile.
Part-celebration, part-psychological inquiry, Exercises for a Possible Return blends autobiographical material and fictional stories to navigate the personal and political minefield of returning to a homeland transformed by war and intervention.
Moments of joyful togetherness can slip into confrontational dialogue or tense silences. Using their trademark style of precise documentary material, acerbic humour and multi-layered meta-narratives, Exercises for a Possible Return takes us on a journey into the heart of the current migrant experience.
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Ma’louba – Arabic for Upside Down – was founded as a collective by Syrian theatre makers, who graduated from the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus and are now based across Europe.
Collective Ma’louba’s works reflect on the lived experiences of Arabs in a global context: their historical, political and colonial links and the unsettled status of existences. Collective Ma’louba’s works are always topical and include themes of migration, identity, culture, freedom and the nature of theatre.
Their creations Your Love Is Fire (2017), Days In The Sun (2018), Reine Formsache (2019), The Return Of Danton (2021) and Up There (2022) have toured extensively including Theater an der Ruhr, Mülheim; Kammerspiele, München; Made in Germany Festival, Stuttgart; Summerhall, Edinburgh; and Novi Sad, Serbia.
Collective Ma’louba was initiated in 2016 by Theater an der Ruhr to offer professional working conditions to Syrian artists in Germany. It was company in residence until 2021 and still rehearses there.
“A nuanced piece of meta theatre about revolution and German theatre … a clever, multi-dimensional piece of writing.” The Stage on Mudar Alhaggi’s The Return of Danton (2021)
“This is an intelligent and important play, that hopefully will be recognised beyond a niche context, but seen as a mature contribution to the European theatre sector.” - Nachtkritik on Wael Kadour & Mohamad Al Rashi’s Up There (2022)
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Conceived and performed by: Mudar Alhaggi, Amal Omran, Wael Kadour and Mohammad Alrashi
Director: Layla Adamat
Set & Lighting Design: Jonas Vogt
Sound: Elias Aboud
Production: Svea Menne
Production Assistant: Wissam Atfah
International Development and Touring: Eckhard Thiemann
Co-commissioned by Theater an der Ruhr and euro-scene Leipzig.
Supported by: Schauspiel Leipzig Residenz
A co-production with Theater an der Ruhr, supported by The Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Collective Ma’louba was initiated in 2016 by Theater an der Ruhr to offer professional working conditions to Syrian artists in Germany. It was company in residence until 2021 and still rehearses there.
Image Credits: Notes on a return to Syria, film by Catherine Vincent, featuring Mohammad Alrashi's visit to Syria in February 2025.
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Download dossier here.
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“...tense mystery of missing writer and Nazi fugitive... slippery, intriguing and full of nuance...” The Guardian ★★★★ (on the Long Shadow of Alois Brunner)
“A striking piece of theatre that will stay for me for a long time, probably forever” Theatre Reviews North ★★★★ (on the Long Shadow of Alois Brunner)
“Successful theatre that creates empathy and brings us closer to the experience of others” Leipziger Volkszeitung (on the Long Shadow of Alois Brunner)
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2026
6 & 7 November: euro-scene Leipzig, Germany
2027
24 & 25 April: Theater an der Ruhr, Mülheim, Germany
30 May: Theater an der Ruhr, Mülheim, Germany
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For more information, check availability, please contact eckhard@eckhardthiemann.com.