Tales of a City by the Sea

<p><em>'If only our bodies were bulletproof </em></p><p><em>If only our boats were made of steel </em></p><p><em>If only our dreams were real.' </em></p><p>Gaza 2008. A Palestinian journalist writes poetry on the beach. A doctor must decide to stay or leave. Then come the missiles and the phosphorus showers. </p><p>This is a furious and tender exploration of the fragility of freedom. The national collides with the personal as activism and reporting take to the stage. <em>Tales of a City by the Sea </em>uses poetry tenderness and humour to explore the love between those who have choices and those who do not. Language fails us when it comes to displacement and grief; yet Samah Sabawi's language cracks grief open and remains present like the sea.</p><p><em>Tales of a City by the Sea</em> was staged twice in 2014: at La Mama Theatre in Melbourne and at the Aida refugee camp in Palestine.</p>