As an ex Religious Education Teacher with a specialism in Islam, I was excited to hear about Waswasa: Whispers in Prayer being performed at Birmingham Hippodrome.
Waswasa is an Arabic word, for devilish whispers that taunt you, so I was intrigued to find out how this performance was going to go. What it was going to concentrate on and what kind of emotions and messages were going to be shared.
We had opted for the full experience which included the immersive multi-disciplinary art show. If you do this, remember to put your good socks on, as you do have to remove your shoes for the experience. You are provided a canvas bag to place your shoes in and carry around.
The “graffitied” walkway is the start of the experience. Walking through a corridor filled with a multitude of cardboard prayer mats hanging in the air, with a number of different messages.
“Please protect my brothers & my sisters around the world, especially the children” reads one prayer mat.
“Ya Allah, help us create a world without racism, Islamophobia, sexism, antisemitism, poverty and injustice” reads another.
And as people read the prayers, taking in every word, you know that what you’re about to experience in the theatre is going to be magical.
We are welcomed into the theatre and asked to sit facing the middle. In the middle is a rockery section, filled with water. A huge screen faces us.
With an audience of about 50 people, the show is intimate. Made even more so, by only one actor performing the role. The clever moving between the door in the room, into the door in the screen, was well thought out and great visually.
The performance is full of emotion, looking back at growing up as a Muslim in Birmingham, the experiences of trying to be accepted and understood. As a none Muslim, I felt the struggles and the strain and developed an even bigger empathy for Muslims trying to find time in today’s busy society to pray. In the middle of Digbeth, at the bus stops, on top of buildings. Wherever they can catch the time.
The performance has humour in parts, sections to bring giggles but equally and often more so, moments to make you stop and think. I was captivated by the performance. Fully immersed. And in some ways, I don’t want to say any more about the live performance incase it takes anything away from the thought provoking moments it brings, right there, on the spot.
What I can say is that we get to see the trials and tribulations of a Muslim man trying to find a quiet space to say his prayers. His prayers, spoken in Arabic enable you to lose yourself in the peacefulness, the sounds and the passion.
Mohammed Ali, the creator of this wonderful production has chosen not to translate the Arabic spoken, which I feel is a great choice. For those unable to speak Arabic, it is not the time to read subtitles on a screen, instead, it is the time to really feel the sounds and embrace the moment.
When the production ends, we are guided to a room where we could see a replica of the famous Birmingham Qur’an, considered to be one of the world’s oldest manuscripts dating back to the 6th or 7th century. I remember seeing this back during my teacher training in 2006 and being amazed at it then.
The whole experience was fantastic and Mohammed Ali should feel incredibly proud of himself for creating this extraordinary show.
I really hope that this gets seen by so many more people, Muslim and none-Muslim. It holds so many poignant messages within it and I would love to see it touring secondary schools.
If you would like to see it whilst it is at Birmingham Hippodrome, you can purchase tickets here: TICKETS
The performance lasts for approximately 50 minutes.
Disclaimer: I was invited to a press screening of the show. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.