Review Roundup: A GRAIN OF SAND Opens at Arcola Theatre

A Grain of Sand, written and directed by Deputy Artistic Director Elias Matar and performed by Sarah Agha is running at Arcola Theatre in London from 21 - 31 January 2026 ahead of a UK tour.  This powerful new production has dramaturgy from the Olivier nominated Co-Artistic Directors of Good Chance Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson.

Inspired by Leila Boukarim and Asaf Luzon's anthology A Million Kites: Testimonies and Poems from the Children of Gaza, A Grain of Sand is a one-woman show that takes an intimate look at war through the eyes of a child, blending Palestinian folklore with real-life testimonies from children in contemporary Gaza.

Renad, a young Gazan girl, embarks on a dangerous journey. Carrying only the echoes of her grandmother's tales and the spark of her own imagination, she searches for her family and the ‘Anqaa' - the mythical Palestinian Phoenix. Renad's story is one of resilience, hope and the right of children to be children. See what the critics are saying...

 Cindy Marcolina, BroadwayWorld: This is an act of resistance at a time when Palestinian voices are still shut down arbitrarily. The work that’s being done by Good Chance Theatre and the Arcola is commendable, and it’s important to note that the theatre didn’t relegate this project to their basement studio, but gave it a substantial engagement in their main house. We shouldn’t praise the bare minimum, but given the way the industry is going (a playwriting competition has even been announced in order to combat “overtly political” plays now…), we feel that runs like this are to be celebrated.

Arifa Akbar, The Guardian: Originally commissioned by the London Palestine film festival in 2024 as a live performance, A Grain of Sand has lost none of its power. In fact, the tragedy of it all is compounded: that this state of acute crisis continues for Palestinians in Gaza, that there has been no accountability for the death of so many children. As Renad tells her stories, their terrible realities accrete. It is horror upon horror.

TimeOut: In the show’s final moments, the names of Palestinian children killed are projected on screen with their ages. Renad watches, unspeaking, along with the audience. There are hundreds of them; many have their age listed as ‘0 years old’. It’s a powerful, confronting moment of stillness. I’d challenge anyone to sit through this and not be moved – nay, devastated.

Liam O'Dell.com, Liam O'Dell: And as bombs force Renad to flee different places of safety, the power of storytelling to offer both comfort and hope is expressed clearly within the very fabric of the piece. Blood is simply “red sand”, while the idea of one’s imagination being a place where a person can be free without the threat of violence is poignant and moving.

Jeff Mostyn, West End Best Friend: The play’s cri de coeur demands an audience work to facilitate future storytelling from the people currently in Gaza. This play is part of the richer tapestry of Palestinian stories that need to be heard, and the message at its core is one of humanity and empathy for persecuted people that need our attention.

Aya May, Everything Theatre: Agha is a performer with a mesmerising gift for storytelling. From the moment she steps on stage, the room sharpens into focus, and she holds the audience’s hearts and attention for the full 60 minutes. Seeing the world through a child’s eyes invites us into imagination and wonder, only to confront the unbearable reality that an 11-year-old should never possess the language, or the experience, to tell such a story. Agha strips her performance back to its purest form, allowing her humanity to shine through. What remains is devastation, and an unsettling question: have we closed our eyes to these atrocities, in order to protect our own comfort?