Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre and Kawalease ACT (Arab Canadian Theatre) present:

at IMPACT25 in Kitchener, Ontario
Presented by MT Space, supported by Theatre Mada
September 24-28, 2025 at 5 pm
Kitchener City Hall, 200 King Street West
Buy tickets here

at STAND Festival in North Vancouver, British Columbia
Wednesday, November 5, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Presentation House Theatre, 333 Chesterfield Avenue
Buy tickets here

At the height of the Syrian Civil War, Canada resettled more than 44,000 Syrian refugees. But what if the situation was reversed? What if Canada became a warzone, and we were all forced to flee our homes and seek refuge?

In this provocative, participatory experience, Kawalease ACT (Arab Canadian Theatre) invites audiences to feel what it means to be a refugee, what it means to leave your country, to leave everything behind and start anew. Audience members will play the role of Canadian refugees, navigating the resettlement process as they seek asylum in Syria.

Content Warnings: Audience participation, war, refugees, alienation, cultural trauma, dehumanising bureaucracy.

Creative Team for STAND Festival

• Sleman Aldib – Creator, Director & Performer
• Mark Hopkins – Tour Manager
• Allaith Alexander – Performer
• Rana Alkari – Performer
• Alexander Helwah – Performer
• Leen Issa – Performer
• Norma Lize – Performer
• Hala Maghamez – Performer
• Grace Zakko – Performer
• Rashed Dahnoun – Stage Manager
• Kawalease ACT – Co-Producer
• STAND Festival – Presenter

Creative Team for IMPACT25

• Sleman Aldib – Creator, Director & Performer
• Rawd Almasoud – Stage Manager
• Mark Hopkins – Tour Manager
• Mona Al-Faqawi – Performer
• Iman Alsilo – Performer
• Muhammad Al Zouhouri – Performer
• Fadi Dalloul – Performer
• Mira Joie – Performer
• Ward Khobiah – Performer
• Bashir Shahin – Performer
• Aya Bryn Zakarya – Assistant Stage Manager
• Kawalease ACT – Co-Producer
• MT Space – Co-Presenter
• Mada Theatre – Co-Presenter