Play Inside

“Every time I look at you, you take me someplace so far away, I forget to breathe.”

Some days are so hard, we get through it by imagining another place, with another person, in another reality. Youssef’s melancholic journey through his past, through relationships and pain, leads him to fantasies of a place where he can love who he wants and is loved for who he is.

Written by M (Egypt) - wants to remain anonymous

Sound Design by Hana Seifelnasr

Project Managed by - Nery Mounir (Egypt) and Lama (Palestine)

Content warning: stories where you mirror the character as they move around their homes can have a powerful impact. This story contains mention of a past experience of childhood sexual assault. We encourage the audience to listen to their instinct on whether they are in the right time or place to listen or not. 

Play Inside Series 2: How to be a Real Man or The Availability of Air is a selection of embodied audio stories from writers from Palestine, Egypt and the UK, funded by the British Council International Collaboration Fund and directed by UK artists Michelle Roche and Rosie Poebright (Splash and Ripple) in collaboration with Dawar Arts, Egypt and The Freedom Theatre, Palestine

Welcome into our worlds. Into our homes, into our lives. 

Come, join us for a moment. 

Witness what we see, what we feel, what we hear. 

We get power from sharing our stories. Witnessing survivors' perspectives shifts the power back into their hands. These stories transport us from homes in Egypt to England and to Palestine. We know it’s not always easy to listen to, but it’s important to be heard, to be witness to the complexity of lives, and resilience of people, people fighting for air and remembering to breathe.

"You are finally meeting your sperm donor for the first time. You have brought friends with you. For safety….Because you know NOTHING about him…"

When is a choice not a choice? Meesh wants a baby, as a ‘solo mother by choice’, and has made plans to make this happen. ‘It’s only sex, right?’ Unravels the complexity of morality and coercion, when the stakes are so high and ‘No’ isn’t being taken for an answer. This fictional story belongs to so many women, please feel free to pause or stop this story if at any time you need to. 

Written by Michelle Roche

Sound design by Hana Seifelnasr

Project Managed by Nery Mounir (Egypt) and Lama (Palestine)

Content warning: stories where you mirror the character as they move around their homes can have a powerful impact. This story contains content around the real time experience of sexual coercion. We encourage the audience to listen to their instinct on whether they are in the right time or place to listen or not. 

Play Inside Series 2: How to be a Real Man or The Availability of Air is a selection of embodied audio stories from writers from Palestine, Egypt and the UK, funded by the British Council International Collaboration Fund and directed by UK artists Michelle Roche and Rosie Poebright (Splash and Ripple) in collaboration with Dawar Arts, Egypt and The Freedom Theatre, Palestine

Welcome into our worlds. Into our homes, into our lives. 

Come, join us for a moment. 

Witness what we see, what we feel, what we hear. 

We get power from sharing our stories. Witnessing survivors' perspectives shifts the power back into their hands. These stories transport us from homes in Egypt to England and to Palestine. We know it’s not always easy to listen to, but it’s important to be heard, to be witness to the complexity of lives, and resilience of people, people fighting for air and remembering to breathe.

“Every time I look at you, you take me someplace so far away, I forget to breathe.”

Some days are so hard, we get through it by imagining another place, with another person, in another reality. Youssef’s melancholic journey through his past, through relationships and pain, leads him to fantasies of a place where he can love who he wants and is loved for who he is.

Content warning: stories where you mirror the character as they move around their homes can have a powerful impact. This story contains mention of a past experience of childhood sexual assault. We encourage the audience to listen to their instinct on whether they are in the right time or place to listen or not. 

Play Inside Series 2: How to be a Real Man or The Availability of Air is a selection of embodied audio stories from writers from Palestine, Egypt and the UK, funded by the British Council International Collaboration Fund and directed by UK artists Michelle Roche and Rosie Poebright (Splash and Ripple) in collaboration with Dawar Arts, Egypt and The Freedom Theatre, Palestine

Welcome into our worlds. Into our homes, into our lives. 

Come, join us for a moment. 

Witness what we see, what we feel, what we hear. 

We get power from sharing our stories. Witnessing survivors' perspectives shifts the power back into their hands. These stories transport us from homes in Egypt to England and to Palestine. We know it’s not always easy to listen to, but it’s important to be heard, to be witness to the complexity of lives, and resilience of people, people fighting for air and remembering to breathe.

"You are finally meeting your sperm donor for the first time. You have brought friends with you. For safety….Because you know NOTHING about him…"

When is a choice not a choice? Meesh wants a baby, as a ‘solo mother by choice’, and has made plans to make this happen. ‘It’s only sex, right?’ Unravels the complexity of morality and coercion, when the stakes are so high and ‘No’ isn’t being taken for an answer. This fictional story belongs to so many women, please feel free to pause or stop this story if at any time you need to. 

Content warning: stories where you mirror the character as they move around their homes can have a powerful impact. This story contains content around the real time experience of sexual coercion. We encourage the audience to listen to their instinct on whether they are in the right time or place to listen or not. 

Play Inside Series 2: How to be a Real Man or The Availability of Air is a selection of embodied audio stories from writers from Palestine, Egypt and the UK, funded by the British Council International Collaboration Fund and directed by UK artists Michelle Roche and Rosie Poebright (Splash and Ripple) in collaboration with Dawar Arts, Egypt and The Freedom Theatre, Palestine

Welcome into our worlds. Into our homes, into our lives. 

Come, join us for a moment. 

Witness what we see, what we feel, what we hear. 

We get power from sharing our stories. Witnessing survivors' perspectives shifts the power back into their hands. These stories transport us from homes in Egypt to England and to Palestine. We know it’s not always easy to listen to, but it’s important to be heard, to be witness to the complexity of lives, and resilience of people, people fighting for air and remembering to breathe

“I was a cat with nine lives. Every one of her souls honourable… a fighter… who deserved to live.”

What does it take to understand it’s not all your fault? Trace a stream of shisha bubbles through the imagination of a Jouska who has traversed many selves through violence in order to live, and dance, and smoke.

Content warning: stories where you mirror the character as they move around their homes can have a powerful impact. This story contains mention of a past experience of physical assault by family members. We encourage the audience to listen to their instinct on whether they are in the right time or place to listen or not.

Play Inside Series 2: How to be a Real Man or The Availability of Air is a selection of embodied audio stories from writers from Palestine, Egypt and the UK, funded by the British Council International Collaboration Fund and directed by UK artists Michelle Roche and Rosie Poebright (Splash and Ripple) in collaboration with Dawar Arts, Egypt and The Freedom Theatre, Palestine

Welcome into our worlds. Into our homes, into our lives. 

Come, join us for a moment. 

Witness what we see, what we feel, what we hear. 

We get power from sharing our stories. Witnessing survivors' perspectives shifts the power back into their hands. These stories transport us from homes in Egypt to England and to Palestine. We know it’s not always easy to listen to, but it’s important to be heard, to be witness to the complexity of lives, and resilience of people, people fighting for air and remembering to breathe.

“Mum used to hug me everytime he shouted. Her only words were: it’s OK, but you shouldn’t have talked back at him, you made him even angrier.”

Fatima and her brother both left home a few years ago, but she was the one who came back. Memories of her firm friendship with him in childhood meander through the incidents that led them to their distant present.

Play Inside Series 2: How to be a Real Man or The Availability of Air is a selection of embodied audio stories from writers from Palestine, Egypt and the UK, funded by the British Council International Collaboration Fund and directed by UK artists Michelle Roche and Rosie Poebright (Splash and Ripple) in collaboration with Dawar Arts, Egypt and The Freedom Theatre, Palestine

Welcome into our worlds. Into our homes, into our lives. 

Come, join us for a moment. 

Witness what we see, what we feel, what we hear. 

We get power from sharing our stories. Witnessing survivors' perspectives shifts the power back into their hands. These stories transport us from homes in Egypt to England and to Palestine. We know it’s not always easy to listen to, but it’s important to be heard, to be witness to the complexity of lives, and resilience of people, people fighting for air and remembering to breathe.

“To be in a time of war, is to learn how to embroider to candlelight. Embroider the candlelight. And wait.” 

When you can’t go outside, listening becomes a meditation. Remembering and rehearsing for the time you can go outside becomes a way to live again. Curfew describes the distortion of time when it’s controlled by outside forces. 

Play Inside Series 2: How to be a Real Man or The Availability of Air is a selection of embodied audio stories from writers from Palestine, Egypt and the UK, funded by the British Council International Collaboration Fund and directed by UK artists Michelle Roche and Rosie Poebright (Splash and Ripple) in collaboration with Dawar Arts, Egypt and The Freedom Theatre, Palestine

Welcome into our worlds. Into our homes, into our lives. 

Come, join us for a moment. 

Witness what we see, what we feel, what we hear. 

We get power from sharing our stories. Witnessing survivors' perspectives shifts the power back into their hands. These stories transport us from homes in Egypt to England and to Palestine. We know it’s not always easy to listen to, but it’s important to be heard, to be witness to the complexity of lives, and resilience of people, people fighting for air and remembering to breathe.

This is the omnibus episode of the Other Mothers Play Inside series. Play inside is an experiential podcast where the listener is invited to mirror the actions of the characters in their own home. You'll need a mobile and headphones to listen with.

This sequence of four stories is written from the internal perspective of people circling around motherhood from different sides. The perspectives draw on the writers' direct experiences and interviews with others from their POC and queer communities.

More information about the project can be found here www.splashandripple.com/play-inside  

This is a Splash & Ripple production in collaboration with WeRebel, funded by the Arts Council England.

#OtherMothers #PlayInside2020 

CREDITS:

Dee was played by Michelle Roche and Written by Deanna Rodger.

The Narrator was played by Leah Marks.

Sound designer Alexis Adimora,

The Creative Producer was Michelle Roche and the Director was Rosie Poebright.

Meesh wants to be a mother, well maybe she doesn’t- actually she’s not sure.  But having just had IVF life is about to intervene one way or the other.  You'll need a mobile and headphones to listen as you're invited to mirror the actions of the character around the home. 

If you've enjoyed this story please donate to the artists here: https://ko-fi.com/playinside More information about the project can be found here www.splashandripple.com/play-inside  

This is a Splash & Ripple production in collaboration with WeRebel, funded by the Arts Council England.  

#OtherMothers #PlayInside2020   

Meesh was played by Lynsey Murrell and written by Michelle Roche.  

The Narrator was played by Leah Marks.  Sound designer Alexis Adimora,  

The Creative Producer was Michelle Roche and the Director was Rosie Poebright.

Zoe's is love story in two parts, which come together while they’re making sense of their own coming out story alongside having a mum in hospital. You'll need a mobile and headphones to listen as you're invited to mirror the actions of the character around the home.  

If you've enjoyed this story please donate to the artists here: https://ko-fi.com/playinside More information about the project can be found here www.splashandripple.com/play-inside  

This is a Splash & Ripple production in collaboration with WeRebel, funded by the Arts Council England.  

#OtherMothers #PlayInside2020   

Zoe was played by Elexi Walker and written by Rosie Poebright.  

The Narrator was played by Leah Marks.  Sound designer Alexis Adimora,  The Creative Producer was Michelle Roche and the Director was Rosie Poebright.