12/03/26

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

A Grain of Sand is a moving narrative, drawn from the observations of children caught up in the conflict in Gaza. Commissioned by the London Palestine Film Festival, the piece is based around A Million Kites, a collection of poems and testimonies, complied by Leila Boukarim and Asaf Luzon. Adapted and directed by Elias Matar, the monologue is performed by actor Sarah Agha.

Agha is Maryam, playing in a circle of sand, an 11-year-old girl living happy and oblivious with her family on the Gaza Strip, until her home is suddenly torn apart by bombing. Maryam has always dreamed of being a storyteller and now, separated from those she loves, she finds herself wandering alone through the devastation, sharing her observations. Other children’s real-life testimonies are interwoven with Maryam’s memories of her life at home and the stories told to her by her beloved grandmother. This approach allows occasional moments of humour to illuminate a grim, distressing narrative.

Agha is a compelling performer and Natalie Pryce’s stark set design offers disturbing glimpses of the turmoil, projected onto a crumpled fabric backdrop. Nick Powell’s soundscapes intensify the terror of the situation. It’s sometimes hard to comprehend the scale of what’s happening in Gaza, but a final image puts everything into shocking perspective – the ranks of children’s names, together with their respective ages, spreading across the backdrop, illuminating the magnitude of the war.

It makes for uncomfortable viewing but I cannot look away.

4 stars

Philip Caveney