In 2011, democratic uprisings erupted all over the Arab world. Citizens challenged their leadership and questioned regimes. In the Eruptive Mode presents six stories of ordinary citizens — all women — caught in the violence and chaos of the Arab Spring. Through visceral songs and spoken word, this show unveils unheard voices, each at their own point of no return.

Internationally acclaimed Anglo-Kuwaiti writer and director Sulayman Al-Bassam brought his inventive, satirical take on Shakespeare’s The Speaker’s Progress to ArtsEmerson in 2011. Now he returns with a powerful new feat of storytelling. Through voice and song, In the Eruptive Mode embraces contemporary language to respond to the challenges that still reign across much of the Arab world. Raw, melodic, and entirely original: these are voices of the Arab Spring.
 

"A heavy dose of political courage and mental clarity."
- AL-AKHBAR