‘Revolution’ to make Irish debut in Ballaghaderreen

A new theatre piece will be performed in the Abbeyfield Hotel, Ballaghaderreen in conjunction with the Ballagh Arts Festival.

Performed over three evenings, 'Revolution', a thought provoking piece, is directed and written by acclaimed Lebanese director and actor Joud Al Sulaiman.

Revolution is based on true events experienced by the Syrian people during the rule of Hafez Al Assad and his son, Bashar al-Assad. It tells the story of Karim and Israa, a young married couple from Homs who are displaced to Damascus after their home is destroyed.

The story is told in a satirical and comedic style. A dark farce, the play is both funny and tragic. Revolution was produced in Beirut in 2025, and the Ballaghaderreen staging is its first international outing.

Joud Al Sulaiman stars as Karim. After becoming an established theatre artist in Beirut, he moved from Lebanon to Ireland four months ago. His credits appear on the Netflix show Al Habya.

Roulav Maamou plays Israa in the play, and has lived in Ireland for the past number of years and brings a wide range of experience from fashion to music.

Shahed Al Sulaiman is the play’s set designer and he translated the Arabic text to English. Ali Hadad also features, bringing his experience from Al Habya.

Darragh O’Brien, GRETB education co-ordinator at the Abbeyfield EROC brings his theatre background to the production.

The show is in the Abbeyfield EROC and is the first public production to take place in the centre. This is a ground breaking move by Secret Box Theatre to evolve the theatrical and cultural fabric of Ballaghaderreen.

Performances take place on Tuesday, August 4th, Wednesday, August 5th and Thursday, August 6th.

Audiences are invited to arrive at between 4 pm. and 5 p.m. to enjoy some traditional Syrian desserts and coffee.

This project is being supported by Creative Places Ballaghaderreen's Local Creative Call for 2026 - helping to support locals artists ideas and visions.