Picking Up Stones
Written and performed by Sandra Laub

An American Jewish woman wakes to a nightmare.

In this powerful one-woman performance, Sandra Laub explores the human impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through personal stories, historical memory and questions of identity, grief and coexistence.

Hailed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the production gives voice to multiple perspectives, from Israeli families and peace activists to Palestinian mothers, American students and survivors of violence on all sides of the conflict. Using stones as a central metaphor for memory, loss and endurance, the play blends physical storytelling, music and shifting characterisation to examine the emotional aftermath of October 7, 2023, and the war in Gaza.

Rather than offering simple answers, Picking Up Stones asks audiences to sit with difficult questions about trauma, history, responsibility and humanity. At its heart is a search for understanding in the face of division, and the exhausting but essential work of recognising one anothers humanity.

Running time: Approximately 80 minutes, no interval.
The performance will be followed by a talk-back lasting approximately 30 to 45 minutes.