Set the timer. The everyday existence of a mother during a sweltering summer vacation: prepare meals, pack the bag, run the drill, repeat. With a dry wit and the determination of an Olympian, Mariam meticulously practices for the run of her life—the dreaded knock on the roof. Written by and starring Khawla Ibraheem, this unforgettable new play about obsession, survival and everyday life in Gaza is directed by NYTW Usual Suspect and Obie Award winner Oliver Butler (What the Constitution Means to Me).
Built on a foundation of obsession, instinct, and dread, A Knock on The Roof unfolds as a relentless monologue, barraging the audience with Mariam’s real-time commentary of everyday life. While this unyielding pace mirrors the terror of the knock, a pause within the text could let the audience absorb its weight fully.
Palestinian writer-actress Khawla Ibraheem tugs at the heartstrings in her Gaza-set monologue A Knock on the Roof, which opened Monday at the New York Theatre Workshop, recounting the plight of a young mother in an unnamed Gaza city that is being subjected to repeated attacks by the Israeli military that have leveled nearby buildings. Ibraheem’s one-woman show is a curious exercise — a fictionalized account of the psychological effects of wartime that is oddly divorced from the politics of the region.
2025 | West End |
West End |
2025 | Off-Broadway |
NYTW Off-Broadway Premiere Off-Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2025 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Solo Performance | Khawla Ibraheem |
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