RIYADH: One Monday evening in Riyadh, musicians, writers, actors and directors gathered in the city’s creative district, JAX, to deliver a one-of-a-kind monologue sequence that drew audiences in with its humor, wit and sincerity.
“Unspoken,” a series produced collaboratively by Writers in Riyadh, Aurora Theater and The Warehouse, saw nine monologues performed on stage, offering an intimate and unfiltered look at the quiet tensions that shape modern life.
“It was truly inspiring to attend the talent show — the energy and creativity on stage were incredible. What stood out most to me was the passion and authenticity each performer brought to their act. It is exciting to see such a groundbreaking event in Saudi Arabia, celebrating self-expression and artistry in such a bold way,” audience member Khalid Al-Tattan told Arab News during the first of the two-night show.
In “Unspoken: Episode 1 — Permission Not Granted,” monologues written by Nicole Garbellini, David Ogilvie and Shruti Parasuraman tackled subjects including the woes and wins of motherhood, the grief of losing one’s body to time, the struggles of finding real love in the modern age, and all the feelings left unsaid.
Aurora Theater’s Garbellini told Arab News: “You can come from a different culture, a more conservative culture, sure, but the struggles are similar because we are humans.”
“A lot of the monologues were oriented around family relationships and dynamics. You cannot get more universal than that,” Ogilvie added.
Among the performances were “It’s Me, Kit,” written by Jane Engelmann and adapted by Garbellini and Ogilvie, featuring a gut-wrenching moment as a son struggles to uncover his resentment toward his bedridden father as he faces his last moments. Parasuraman’s “It’s a Man’s World” gave us a humorous take on a hopeless romantic’s experience on a first date, while Garbellini’s “Just a few Questions,” in contrast, offers a glimpse into a seemingly perfect marriage.
The monologues were woven together with musical interludes, demonstrating a blend of different art forms on one stage.
“A monologue is one of the purest forms of storytelling. It challenges you to be fully present, fully truthful, and completely connected to your audience. It is also a powerful space to explore the depth of character while creating a direct and human connection,” said Soha Khan, the actress who delivered “It’s a Man’s World.”
Lubna Ahmed-Haque, founder of Writers in Riyadh, told Arab News: “I feel so happy, emotional and proud of it, just because our community started with only 15 of us, and now it is more than 600 individuals, creatives who are genuinely passionate individuals from different backgrounds. The fact that we can bring people from different cultural and creative industries together, whether it be writers, actors, musicians, I think that is just beautiful.
“That is community at its best. That is creativity at its best. I just feel beyond proud of what everyone has achieved in doing this. And that is what art is. That is what creative expression is. Whether you are writing, whether it is music, whether it is spoken word, that is art, that is expression.”
Aurora Theater, a theater company from Hong Kong, has been around for 15 years. “Once I moved to Saudi, I was eager not so much to start a company here, but to replicate the idea of a theater community. This project (Unspoken) is the starting point,” Garbellini said.
“I remember this back in the days in Hong Kong — everybody loves a good community project, because everyone wants to be involved somehow. I think, especially in a place like JAX district, we crave this. We love it. It’s stories, it’s music, it’s fun. There will be more of this.”
While some of the topics were difficult to deal with and are often considered taboo, such as miscarriage, mental health and resentful familial bonds, the collaborators made sure to stay outspoken while respecting the space in which the works were performed.
Ahmed-Haque said the writers’ group was built on being an expressive space for sharing topics that are often sidelined: “Having a platform like this, to reach people in a spoken word form, just felt like the perfect opportunity to take that to the next level, while being respectful of certain things,” she said.
