Marwa Harb (15 years) used to be part of the FPSC’s inclusive theatre group for children from August-November 2014, starring in the performance “Window of Hope” in November 2014.
Marwa subsequently wrote a script about child labour and asked FPSC for some organizational support in realizing the 
theatre performance, similar to the support FPSC had given to her father, Mohammad Harb (Abu Ra’fat) in starting up Syria Tomorrow Theatre Troupe (January-May 2015). FPSC agreed, and with Marwa and Abu Ra’fat, gathered a group of children, youth and adults, male and female, some with disabilities and some without, to form a cast. Marwa, in the meantime, worked on her script with the help of her father and the script developed to touch also upon the themes of family and community attitudes to persons with disability, and on the benefits of education for everyone.
The initial meeting was held in IMC on 30th December 2015 with all the cast, after which three weeks of rehearsals for a 3-scene play were led by Abu Ra’fat and Marwa involving four young women (between the ages of 15 and 17 years), one boy (8 years old), two women and eight men all from the Syrian community across the camp. During the final performance, one sound technician and one musician from the Syrian community joined the team.
The performance on Monday 18th January 2016 was very well received, involving a mixture of drama (in the scenes of a father who cruelly chastises and hides away his daughter in a wheelchair) and comedy (notably in the raucous classroom scene). It was attended by an audience of about 200 women, girls, boys and men some with disabilities, some without, from the families of the performers and from the community local to IRD site in District 9, as well as staff from IMC, IRD, FPSC and UNHCR.
Marwa was very happy with the realization of her script into a play before such a large audience; we are now preparing a small scrap-book of photos from the event for her to take with her as a momento.
This project has had a particular significance since Marwa’s family were selected for the interviews to go to Canada, and are expecting to travel some time in these next days. This project, therefore, was possibly the last performance the family will be involved in before their departure from the camp.
For this project, FPSC was responsible for the management and coordination of the entire project between Marwa herself, IMC and Syria Tomorrow Theatre Troupe. This included securing space for rehearsals in IMC (D10) and IRD (D9); arranging the final performance including SRAD permission, invitations to organizations and tickets for the community; arranging the transportation of those persons with mobility difficulties to the rehearsals; and procuring props, costumes, equipment needed for the performance. We extend a huge thanks to IMC for providing space for rehearsals and meetings as well as the participation of six of their Syrian volunteers who were involved in the production as sound technician and actors; and to IRD who provided the venue for the final performance and helped in the outreach for audience.