Staged across five nights at the Damascus Opera House, the Syrian theatrical production “Who Casts the First Stone?” transforms its audience into an active virtual jury. Directed by Fady Al-Hawashi and produced by the Ministry of Culture, the play explores the harrowing human motives behind a murder through an interactive courtroom format.
Written by dramaturg Dima Abaza and featuring a prominent young ensemble cast including Khaled Shabat and Jafra Younes, the play steps past standard passive viewing to force audiences to confront the terrifying normalisation of violence in societies.
The Bottom Line
- The Premise: An interactive courtroom drama where the audience decides the fate of a man forced into murder.
- The Creative Team: Directed by Fady Al-Hawashi, with dramaturgy by Dima Abaza and a cast led by Khaled Shabat and Jafra Younes.
- The Cultural Impact: Inspired by the concept of the “banality of evil,” challenging viewers to evaluate how societies rationalise and normalise everyday violence.
Inside the Virtual Courtroom of Damascus
The plot centers on Ghiyath, a corporate employee portrayed by Khaled Shabat, who stands accused of participating in videotaped killings. Defending him is lawyer Reem, played by Jafra Younes. Ghiyath’s defense hinges on a desperate plea: trapped in a six-year kidnapping ordeal, he committed the acts solely to protect his family and secure their survival.
Here is the kicker: instead of a scripted verdict, the judge turns directly to the audience. The performance concludes by suspending judgment until the following day, leaving the moral burden squarely on the shoulders of the spectators.
Deconstructing the Banality of Evil on Stage
Director Fady Al-Hawashi notes that the conceptual roots of the project stretch back to 2019. After encountering the philosophical framework of the “banality of evil,” Al-Hawashi drafted the initial script. The production waited years to mature before finally landing on the Damascus stage.
“The idea was to address the grave danger of normalising violence in any of its forms,” Al-Hawashi explains. The play strips away abstract political arguments to focus entirely on individual complicity.
| Production Element | Creative Lead / Detail |
|---|---|
| Director | Fady Al-Hawashi |
| Dramaturgy | Dima Abaza |
| Lead Cast | Khaled Shabat, Jafra Younes, Majdi Al-Muqbil, Ahmed Shoaib Al-Darwish, Gharam Boufaour |
| Venue | Damascus Opera House |
| Production Body | Ministry of Culture |
Global Resonance and the Rise of Interactive Narrative
By forcing viewers in Damascus to grapple with the messy gray areas of survival and moral compromise, the production taps into a universal anxiety regarding how ordinary people behave under extraordinary systemic pressure.
The Ongoing Dialogue After the Final Curtain
By leaving the ultimate verdict unwritten, the creative team ensures the conversation continues long after the theater lights come back up.
What are your thoughts on interactive theater formats that make audiences responsible for a character’s fate? Would you vote to acquit or convict under extreme duress? Let us know your perspective in the comments below.
