Incendies

production
Branden is Wajdi Mouawad’s modern classic about war, maternal love, and secrets. Twin siblings Janna and Simon Marwan learn at their mother Nawal’s death that their father is still alive — and that they have a brother. They are tasked with finding their father and brother and delivering each a letter. What follows is a journey through a family history torn apart by civil war, and through the life of their mother. The twins discover how deeply her life has been shaped by violence, cruelty, and secrets. Branden explores the complexity and reach of war and violence through a retelling of a Greek tragedy (Oedipus), wrapped in a modern whodunnit. The story draws on real events, but exact references are absent, and much symbolism has been added.

design
We sought a space — an in-between place — where all these different elements could intersect. A hybrid environment where deconstruction and reconstruction happen simultaneously. Our inspiration comes from the colors and forms of the ‘Lebanon-like’ landscape, but also from the debris, broken houses, and shattered lives left by war. The set is made of stacked materials, an accumulation of violence and memory. It can suggest multiple floors of a building, a stylized ruin, or even a blueprint — in any case, it is flammable. Four large lamps hang above, radiating heat. At the end of the performance, water flows from the top of the pile to the bottom, in the hope of dousing the materials and breaking the cycle of violence.