The Walls Enclosing

Is there a difference between being from a place and being of it? Thirteen years since her last visit, Amal returns to Occupied Palestine on a trip to visit family and finds so much has changed and yet nothing at all. Worried about her Arabic and apprehensive about fitting into her homeland, Amal is embraced by her cousin, who makes it his mission to show her around.

Presented with support from Buddies in Bad Times and Cahoots Theatre

The Walls Enclosing was first developed through the Paprika Festival Playwrights Unit in 2024 and received support from the Ontario Arts Council.

This excerpt is being produced with permission of the playwright.

CONTENT AND SENSORY ADVISORIES: This show contains discussion of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine and descriptions of settler colonial military violence, as well as video design with quickly moving and rotating imagery.

ALL PERFORMANCES ARE MASK MANDATORY

RUN TIME:
90 minute Double-Bill, 15 minute intermission between pieces (paired with Anansi v. God(s))

Cast and Crew

  • Director: Vandana Maharaj
  • Playwright: Ameer Idreis
  • Sound Designer: Nuha Yousaf
  • Projection Designer: saysah
  • Lighting Designer: Chin Palipane
  • Stage Manager: Jasmine Brough
  • Actor: Nada Abusaleh
  • Actor: Ahmad Meree
  • Actor: Nezar El-Rayes

Schedule

Part of the 2026 Festival

Location

Native Earth Performing Art’s Aki Studio

250-585 Dundas Street East
Toronto, ON M5A 2B7
https://www.nativeearth.ca/akistudio/

Accessibility

Native Earth Performing Arts and Artscape strive to provide equal treatment to and equitable benefits of its services, programs and facilities in a manner that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities.

  • The Dundas Street entrance provides barrier-free access to the building
  • Two elevators are located in the South Lobby
  • All floors have accessible washrooms and stalls, as well as accessible drinking fountains
  • Signage throughout the building is written in Braille
  • A hearing enhancement system is available in Aki Studio and the Ada Slaight Hall

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Paprika Artist Participants

Vandana Maharaj

Director

Vandana Maharaj (she/her) is a Trinidadian-Canadian actor, director and writer. She is a recent grad from the UTM x Sheridan Theatre and Drama Studies program. Vandana strives to uphold spaces that tell stories from marginalized communities and highlights human experiences. She is passionate about fostering community through her work and everyday life. Vandana also loves to sing, dance, read and grow plants. In her spare time she does Social media management and content creation cuz there’s nothing like a good feed that tells a story. Find her @vandanas.world.

saysah

Projection Designer

saysah moves through the world with a deep intention to be in right relationship with their body, the land, and the communities they belong to. they are always in the process of (un)becoming—an ever-evolving learner, maker, and mover. as a multidisciplinary and multisensorial artist, saysah’s practice weaves together different forms of expression, all guided by sensory exploration. they find joy in mulling over layers of embodied knowledge systems and re-membering what has been left for us.

through their work, they build spaces for co-creation, where community-building, ritual-theatre, and archive come together in a shared approach. these elements are deeply informed by earth and water as vital teachers and collaborators — saysah honours these guides by moving with a commitment to reciprocity.