It’s a dramatic opening for Ruins: a woman sits on makeshift blocks, cloaked in a long black sheath, in stark contrast to a casually dressed man standing beside her. He asks her questions in English; she shouts back at him in Arabic.

The multicultural story centres around Amelia Alissa (Randa Sayed), who travels from Australia to Lebanon after the death of her father Joe (played by Youssef Sabet and Tony Poli), hoping to uncover her past and learn about her mother. Her journey runs alongside Joe’s own story, set during Lebanon’s civil war in the 1980s.

Devised and written by Emily Ayoub and Madeline Baghurst, with Ayoub directing, the piece moves at a relentless pace. Ruins shifts between the present and two flashback periods — sometimes in the space of a minute—while the cast (Randa Sayed, Adeeb Razzouk and Piumi Wijsundara) take on a multitude of roles. At times the rapid shifts can be challenging, particularly as the show veers into the mystical. Is Amelia lost in her grief, imagining her father’s presence, or is his spirit there with her?

Where Ruins succeeds is in Cris Baldwin’s set design, especially his ingenious use of multipurpose props. Black crates become everything from guns to cars, and at one point are raced across the stage to evoke Beirut’s chaotic traffic. Sheer drapes double as projection screens for Laura Turner’s images of ruins and text, with Arabic dialogue translated above in English.

There is striking theatricality elsewhere too: a hospital screen used for shadow play during a child’s operation, Frankie Clarke’s purple haze lighting for the club scenes, and moments of choreographed movement that shift from slow-motion to frenzied. Jessica Scott plays the flute to the side of the stage, adding atmosphere.

Not all choices resonate with the audience. Some lines in Arabic remain untranslated, leaving the joke only for those who understand the language.

Ruins explores identity, the experiences of migrants, and the inexorable pull of an ancestral homeland. In an era marked by ongoing conflict and displacement across the Middle East, its themes resonate with urgency. The production reminds us that questions of belonging, grief, and cultural memory continue to shape lives today.

3.5 stars

Run time: 70 minutes (no interval).

Note: performance includes references to and representations of violence and war that audience members may find confronting or upsetting.

Presented by Clockfire Theatre Company and Seymour Centre, Ruins is playing at Seymour Centre until 18 October 2025. 

For tickets visit Seymour Centre