THE SKY IS SAFE

Matthew Zajac and Dana Hajaj​
in
THE SKY IS SAFE
by Matthew Zajac
​Director Ben Harrison
Set Nihad Al Turk
Costume Ali Maclaurin
Music & Sound Pippa Murphy
​Lighting John Wilkie
Video Tim Reid
Choreography Dawn Hartley

Amal and Gordon meet on the opulent streets and shadowy alleys of Taksim, the commercial heart of Istanbul where every conceivable transaction takes place. She is a Syrian refugee, he a privileged westerner from northern Europe. What follows is a dream-like dance, an impossible meeting where these two acknowledge and ignore the barriers between them. The anonymity of the metropolis and their own transience allows them to reinvent themselves, though in reality, they can’t escape who they are or what they represent. Individual stories, images and impressions gathered by Zajac through visits to Istanbul and interviews with Syrian women rebuilding their lives in the city give voice to the characters, particularly to the voice of women, in relation to gender politics and resistance to war and exploitation. THE SKY IS SAFE is a love story, a war story and a microcosm of our time.

Edinburgh Festivals Magazine (Miriam Larrainzar) ✭✭✭✭✭
​”The Sky is Safe is an emotionally charged and politically powerful masterpiece… a beautiful and accessible script about the Syrian tragedy…The energy and chemistry between both performers, including Zajac himself, is hypnotising. The other half of the two-hander, Dana Hajal, gives an extraordinary and emotionally draining performance… If you are willing to open your eyes and be taken through an emotional journey which will shake you to your core, book your tickets now.”

Edinburgh Fringe Guru (Catherine Meek) ✭✭✭✭✭
“…a beautiful, thoughtful and creative must-see piece of theatre.”

The Herald (Keith Bruce) ✭✭✭✭
“Both poetic and politically-nuanced, this important piece of theatre is now on tour across Scotland…Don’t miss a chance to see it.”

​
Common Space (Tara Fitzpatrick)
“…a clear and uncompromising take on the misery and injustice of Europe’s Refugee Crisis…Hajaj shifts, seemingly effortlessly, from one character to the other portraying a variety of emotion and range…a magnified insight into the complex turmoil experienced by female refugees…The Sky is Safe feels like necessary theatre… despite leaving viewers both heartbroken and enraged, the play ends, appropriately, on the word “hope”.”

The Wee Review (Claire Wood) ✭✭✭✭
“Matthew Zajac is a man with a heart, an ear for a story and a fierce sense of justice. His previous show, The Tailor of Inverness, was a stunning example of storytelling based on real life. And his new show is no different…Both actors in Dogstar’s new production are superb… Dana Hajaj’s multiple women are presented with grace, compassion and perfectly pitched emotion… a pacey, polished and visually rich production.”

Fringe Review (Naomi Paul)
“Recommended…we cannot help but be engaged…a committed, necessary and urgent production. These are stories that need to be heard and we need to hear them.”

June and Winter Magazine (Tara Fitzpatrick)
“Harrowing and insightful, The Sky is Safe is an anti-war play which gauges with the effects of British corporate interests in the Middle East. Yet the play’s focus is almost entirely on the experiences of women, exploring the ramifications of wars, started primarily by men, on the lives of the female population”.

​“…powerful and engaging.”
Allan Radcliffe, The Times

“Dynamically acted by Zajac and Dana Hajaj in Ben Harrison’s good-looking production for Dogstar, it gives voice to women displaced by war in the Middle East, while implicating the West in making those wars economically possible in the first place.”
Mark Fisher, The Scotsman

“This timely, urgent work is convincingly delivered by Zajac himself and Palestinian / Lebanese actor Dana Hajaj, and with an evocative set design by Nihad Al Turk…full of compelling fury and hope.”
David Kettle, The List

David from Portugal – audience member
“A great performance. Very touching. It reveals the true stories of real lives of the ones who suffer with the war in Syria. It helps to understand a bit what happens with the refugees we see in the news but whose stories no one listens to”

Una from Scotland – audience member
“Beautiful set design and use of music, poetry and multimedia which set the story off really well. The two actors were excellent in their interactions and story powerfully told and certainly hits home”.

Marcus from Scotland – audience member
A powerful reminder of what is happening in Syria and Turkey today. We attended with two Syrian refugees.