A poetic, heartbreaking story of intergenerational queer history in Lebanon, The Green Line weaves together civil war Beirut with a contemporary nightclub, following one family's journey to discover their past.
In the present day, Rami, a twentysomething queer Lebanese Canadian, has returned to the Lebanese mountains to bury his father. To cope with the weight of his grief, Rami, carrying a necklace in the shape of a phoenix left to him by his father, finds himself in a queer Beirut nightclub, where he catches the attention of a powerful drag queen named Fifi, who just so happens to be dressed as a phoenix.
In 1978, in the midst of the Lebanese Civil War, Naseeb is attempting to get himself and his sister Mona out of Beirut and into the safety of the mountains. Mona, however, is secretly in love with her classmate, a woman named Yara, and refuses to leave the city. When Naseeb becomes swept up with the descending political culture of the war around him, he creates a rift between himself and Mona greater than the line that divides the country itself.
• Makram began writing this play as an exploration of intergenerational memory
• First produced by Downstage Theatre and Chromatic Theatre, Calgary, in April 2022
A poetic, heartbreaking story of intergenerational queer history in Lebanon, The Green Line weaves together the story of Rami, a twentysomething queer Lebanese Canadian, who has returned to the Lebanese mountains to bury his father, and the story of Naseeb, who, amid the Lebanese Civil War, is attempting to get himself and his sister Mona out of Beirut and into the safety of the mountains. Together, these stories intertwine to reveal one family's journey to discover their past.
"Ayache's dialogue is decidedly lyrical . . . There are some truly beautiful images not just in the monologues but in simple exchanges."
"An affecting, well-written piece by Edmonton playwright Makram Ayache . . . that travels to a surprisingly wide variety of places . . . a universal, first-class [play] more than worthy of your attention."
