AZA: STORIES OF GRIEF IN DIASPORA Comes to Melbourne Fringe

Performances run 18 - 22 October.

By: Sep. 20, 2023
AZA: STORIES OF GRIEF IN DIASPORA Comes to Melbourne Fringe

In this debut Fringe show, acclaimed poets Charaf Tartoussi, Farah Beaini, Thabani Tshuma and Parminder Kaur merge spoken word, theatre and mourning ritual to explore grief from the migrant perspective.

Supported by musical composition from ABC Classic FM’s Meena Shamaly, the show dives into their respective retellings, reimaginings and reclamations of grieving a family member from a homeland elsewhere.

Each bringing their mastery of poetic performance and craft, these artists embark on an honest voyage through a grief as ancestral as it is foreign. From longing and guilt to curiosity and pride, they will venture into the breadth of emotion in their migrant and diasporic mourning.

A project as necessary as it is emotive, Aza offers a dynamic feast of storytelling that confronts preconceptions, deconstructs realities and examines existing narratives around one of the most universal human experiences and the different ways it can make, break and shape us.

Charaf Tartoussi, creator and lead artist says, ‘I am so incredibly proud of the work that has gone into this show, the way these artists have come together and trusted one another with the vulnerability in their grief, how honest and authentic these stories are, how lucky we are to be able to tell them, I can't wait to share them with the rest of the world’.

“Grief is a shifting emotion; part of its processing demands exploration. As we do that, the show will be a cathartic experience for both of us, as performers and the audience alike.” says acclaimed poet, writer and cast member Thanani Tshuma

Aza allows audience members to stare into the maw of mourning and offers the opportunity to face it and emerge on the other side changed in some way.




RELATED STORIES - Australia - Melbourne

1
Review: KINKY BOOTS at Chapel Off Chapel Photo
Review: KINKY BOOTS at Chapel Off Chapel

Kinky Boots has returned to Melbourne in a blissfully boutique production, produced by James Terry Collective. With a story that centres around the importance of accepting others for who they truly are, Kinky Boots seems relevant now more than ever before.

2
The Fish Creek Carnival Returns with a Summer Celebration for all the Family in South Gipp Photo
The Fish Creek Carnival Returns with a Summer Celebration for all the Family in South Gippsland

Gippsland will experience the thrill of the circus and the excitement of cabaret at the Fish Creek Carnival kicking off on New Year's Eve.

3
Rehearsals Are Underway For GREASE in Australia Photo
Rehearsals Are Underway For GREASE in Australia

Rehearsals have begun for the brand-new multi-million dollar stage production of GREASE, which opens in Melbourne from 31 December, Sydney from 24 March 2024 and in Perth from 30 June.

4
THE DUCHESS OF MALFI Comes to Melbourne in February Photo
THE DUCHESS OF MALFI Comes to Melbourne in February

Promising to be a true highlight at the onset of the 2024 Melbourne Arts Calendar, Arrant Knaves Theatre Company bring Melbourne audiences a dark and thrilling new adaptation of John Webster’s defining masterpiece, The Duchess of Malfi.

More Hot Stories For You

Videos


A Midsummer Night's Dream  in Australia - Melbourne A Midsummer Night's Dream
Canberra Theatre Centre (4/25-5/11)
The Merchant of Venice in Australia - Melbourne The Merchant of Venice
St Kilda Botanical Gardens (12/01-12/23)
Bliss an exhibition in Australia - Melbourne Bliss an exhibition
Inner Essence (11/23-12/16)
RENT in Australia - Melbourne RENT
State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne (2/17-2/25)
Elvis: A Musical Revolution in Australia - Melbourne Elvis: A Musical Revolution
Athenaeum Theatre (10/03-12/17)
King Lear  in Australia - Melbourne King Lear
Arts Centre Melbourne (7/25-8/11)
Outback Adventures in Australia - Melbourne Outback Adventures
St Kilda Botanical Gardens (12/09-12/23)
VIEW ALL SHOWS  ADD A SHOW  

Recommended For You