A powerful solo performance about identity, truth, and belonging.
From Berlin’s sold-out stages at the Maxim Gorki Theater to standing ovations at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Between the River and the Sea starring international actor Yousef Sweid (Munich Games, Game of Thrones, Woman of the Dead) is fast becoming a global theatrical phenomenon.
Premiered in April 2025 at the prestigious Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin, the one-man play by Yousef Sweid and Isabella Sedlak who also directed the play that quickly captivated audiences and critics alike.
Following its sold-out Berlin run, the production went on to the world’s largest stage for innovative theatre, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025, where it drew rave reviews, standing ovations, and overwhelming audience response. It became one of the festival’s breakout productions, sparking conversations across cultures and generations.
The play, based on Sweid’s personal life and journey, grew out of countless one-on-one conversations between Yousef Sweid and Isabella Sedlak. In their process, they explored questions of identity, truth, and family life, or, as Sweid calls it, “my beautiful chaos.” Raised as a Palestinian kid in a Christian family in Haifa and now raising two Jewish-Arab children in Berlin, Sweid unpacks his in-between-ness and reaches a place where contradictions collide and slogans fail.
Their close friendship provided the trust for this production. After October 7th and the outbreak of war, when Sweid, like many others, sank into hopelessness, Sedlak became the friend who challenged him not to retreat but to reflect. She encouraged him to voice the contradictions he was living, and transformed his stories into a sharp, poignant, and often bitingly funny dramatic text.
“I never wanted to expose my life on stage. I love acting because I like to step into other people’s shoes. But in these horrible times it feels necessary to shine a light on other stories between the river and the sea. Stories that bring a different perspective and complexity. Like the stories I experienced living with Palestinians and Israelis all my life. And being forced to become a bridge between them.” – Yousef Sweid
“The play challenges one-dimensional concepts in general. After our shows, audience members often approach us to share their own experiences of being confronted with a situation of ‘in-between-ness.’ I feel the piece taps into a longing for connection beyond binary categories – something that feels urgently needed in an increasingly polarized world.” – Isabella Sedlak
On November 14, NITE, SPOT, Jonge Harten and Grand Theatre come together to host Between the River and the Sea by Yousef Sweid at De Machinefabriek — a night for stories that matter.
Credits
Playwright: Isabella Sedlak & Yousef Sweid | director: Isabella Sedlak | music: Thomas Moked Blum | dramaturgy: Irina Szodruch / Murat Dikenci | trailer: Lutz Knospe | photography: Ute Langkafel