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A poetic, heartbreaking story of intergenerational queer history in Lebanon, The Green Line weaves together civil war Beirut with a contemporary nightclub, following one family’s journey to discover their past.
In the present day, Rami, a twentysomething queer Lebanese Canadian, has returned to the Lebanese mountains to bury his father. To cope with the weight of his grief, Rami, carrying a necklace in the shape of a phoenix left to him by his father, finds himself in a queer Beirut nightclub, where he catches the attention of a powerful drag queen named Fifi, who just so happens to be dressed as a phoenix.
In 1978, in the midst of the Lebanese Civil War, Naseeb is attempting to get himself and his sister Mona out of Beirut and into the safety of the mountains. Mona, however, is secretly in love with her classmate, a woman named Yara, and refuses to leave the city. When Naseeb becomes swept up with the descending political culture of the war around him, he creates a rift between himself and Mona greater than the line that divides the country itself.
“Ayache’s dialogue is decidedly lyrical . . . There are some truly beautiful images not just in the monologues but in simple exchanges.” — Louis B. Hobson, Calgary Herald
“An affecting, well-written piece by Edmonton playwright Makram Ayache . . . that travels to a surprisingly wide variety of places . . . a universal, first-class [play] more than worthy of your attention.” — Alan Kellogg, 12thnight
Makram Ayache is a Governor General’s Literary Award finalist and award-winning playwright, performer, director, and producer based in Toronto. His playwriting explores representations of queer Arab voices and aims to bridge political struggles to the intimate experiences of the people impacted by them. Ayache was selected as one of six breakthrough artists by the Toronto Star in 2023. His play The Hooves Belonged to the Deer was selected as one of ten best productions in 2023 by the Globe and Mail and won an Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding Independent Production in 2023. Previously, his play The Green Line (Downstage and Chromatic Theatre) garnered four Betty Mitchell Award nominations, winning two, including Outstanding New Play. Most recently, Ayache has written an adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest titled A Witch in Algiers (Shakespeare in the Ruff). Alongside writing, most recently Ayache directed the development showcase of Small Gods the Musical with Theatre Sheridan and Factory Theatre.