A poetic and powerful story of love and survival comes to Te Pou Theatre this November (25-29) with Tales of a City by the Sea, presented by Studio Krin and the Sumud Ensemble.

Written by acclaimed Palestinian playwright Samah Sabawi, the play follows Jomana, a journalist in Gaza, and Rami, a diaspora doctor forced to choose between staying or leaving as war closes in. Blending poetry, music, and movement, the production is both tender and defiant — a celebration of human connection in the face of impossible loss.

This staging carries special resonance in Aotearoa: members of the Sumud Ensemble are part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla community — activists who sailed on boats to Gaza to bring humanitarian aid and solidarity to Palestine. Now, their stories move from the sea to the stage, transforming lived resistance into art.

Directed by Rand Hazou and Acacia O’Connor, this show is led by Tāmaki Makaurau’s Palestinian community, supported by people from all over the world, and housed by Māori at Te Pou Theatre – a collaboration that speaks to unity, manaakitanga, and the global power of storytelling.

“Language fails us when it comes to displacement and grief,” says Sabawi. “Yet in this play, language cracks grief open and remains present, like the sea.”

Featuring a rich ensemble including Rana Hamida, Bala Murali Shingade, David Lawrence, Hone Taukiri, and Sherin Darwish, the production also weaves live music from Eva Maria Ghannam and the rhythmic pulse of traditional Dabke dance led by Maysoun Rafreedie. Tales of a City by the Sea is an invitation to witness the strength, humour, and tenderness of life under siege — and the stories that insist on being told.