The Playwright
SAMAH SABAWI is an author, playwright, scholar, commentator and poet who wages ‘beautiful resistance’ through her art and work. A recipient of multiple awards both nationally and internationally, Sabawi’s theatre credits include the critically acclaimed plays Tales of a City by the Sea and THEM. She is also co-editor of Double Exposure: Plays of the Jewish and Palestinian Diasporas, winner of the Patrick O’Neill award and co-author of I Remember My Name: Poetry by Samah Sabawi, Ramzy Baroud and Jehan Bseiso, edited by Vacy Vlazna, winner of the Palestine Book Award. Sabawi is host of the webinar/podcast series The Book Room. Her poems are published in magazines and books including West End Press’s With Our Eyes Wide Open: Poems of the New American Century and Just World Books’ "Gaza Unsilenced!" Her essays and op-ed pieces appear in various media outlets including The Australian, Al-Jazeera, Al-Ahram, The Globe and Mail, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. Samah Sabawi received a Doctor of Philosophy from Victoria University for her thesis titled Inheriting Exile, transgenerational trauma and the Palestinian Australian Identity.
“[Tales of a City by the Sea] is a nuanced exploration of the myriad ways the occupation affects Palestinians at home and abroad... This gripping play is an act of resistance that implores its audience to take heed.”
“[Sawabi] articulates the seemingly unwinnable battle of minds between hard line political and social stands preventing peace, without a trace of dogmatism.”