“We hide our memories, but never bury them”

Adeeb dreams of his homeland: Syria. But when he dreams, the faces are foreign to him, so is the place, and yet he has the undeniable feeling that it’s his home. Aksam Alyousef’s Karma, directed by Pleiades’ artistic executive director Ash Knight, blends past and present to create an engaging and heartbreaking story of loss, discovery, and the realities of a country at war with itself. As the quote above suggests, Karma examines how family dynamics can change, especially when the truth has been hidden for decades.

Adeeb and his mother, Karma, moved to Canada from Syria when he was just two months old. After the loss of her husband, Karma wanted to be with his family and have them in Adeeb’s life. Throughout his whole life, Adeeb has had dreams of Syria, of a village outside of Damascus and of a family there, aching for his return. It’s not until he sets out to find these people, followed across the ocean by his mother, that Adeeb is finally told several family secrets: about the deaths of his grandfather, uncle (after whom he is named), and his father. In seeking to find this other family, what will he discover about himself? About this soul who lives within him? And will he be able to handle the actual truth about this other part of his history?

Alyousef’s text is beautifully written, at times almost Shakespearean, at others feeling so real it’s like being a fly on the wall. I enjoy the foundation of the story being this mystery which Adeeb is trying to unravel: who was this man whose spirit seemingly resides in my body? Yet in doing so, many other questions arise, ones he had never even thought to ask about before, and the answers prove to be more haunting the more of them he’s able to find. The audience is therefore learning all of these facts along with Adeeb, going through the (e)motions with him as the story unfolds. I love a story which pulls me through it along with the characters; though these experiences are nothing like my own, I couldn’t help but feel a deeply profound connection with all of them on one level or another.

Lucas Arab has transformed the Theatre Passe Muraille main space with this unique set and projection design. The majority of the set, including some of the stage itself, is draped in large white fabric, allowing those projections to guide us through time and location. Aided by Logan Raju Cracknell’s lighting design, there are moments where we get to witness the beauty which remains despite the war which rages on around the characters. Arianna Lilith Moodie’s costumes likewise have a light and airy feel, suitable for the warm climate of the setting.

Andrew Iles leads the cast as Adeeb. I love how he was able to fully let go and give his all in his main monologue towards the end of the show. Christina Tannous plays Karma, Adeeb’s mother. Tannous gives Karma a strength and resilience which we don’t fully understand until the deepest of secrets are revealed. Basel Daoud has two scene-stealing roles as Younis (a high-ranking army official) and Muhammad (the man Adeeb is looking for). Daoud embodies these two characters so differently, giving an always-joking-with-you-until-he’s-not uncle vibe to Younis and a kind, gentleness to Muhammad. Zayanna Khalife’s Souhad likewise gives auntie energy: being the knowledge and secret keeper of the family. Souhad has a great chemistry with Tannous; you could totally believe that the two were sisters. Yusuf Zine plays Shaheen, his main role of three, who is at times jovial and ferocious in others. It’s impressive to see a cast of Syrian performers get to perform a story about where they, or their ancestors, are from; it’s a really exciting mandate which Pleiades Theatre has and I know it means a great deal to those who find themselves in these stories.

I am a 4^th generation Canadian. I actually called my Granny as I was writing this to make sure I got all of my facts straight. My great-great-grandmother immigrated from Damascus to Montreal, where she had my great-grandmother. She then moved down to Windsor/Essex, where the next three generations of women would be born. Many of my relatives live in Michigan, just across the river, and have deep ties to their Syrian roots. Karma tapped into a desire I share with Adeeb: to be able to safely visit the land where my ancestors are from. However, around that is a story of heartache, death, and eventually reckoning with the past. Beautifully written, Karma makes me excited to see future plays by Alyousef, hopefully in the good care of Pleiades Theatre.

Karma runs in the Theatre Passe Muraille main space until May 17. For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.pleiadestheatre.org/karma2026

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Cover Photo: Basel Daoud and Andrew Iles in KARMA from Pleiades. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.

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