Writer: Antonia Chammas
Director: Lauryn Jenkins
Everyone wants to believe that their country is worth saving, however desperate the times, however complex its history, and however difficult the fight for improvement might be. Antonia Chammas’ one-woman show explores two sisters’ contrasting feelings about Lebanon as deprivation, war and civil unrest change their perceptions of country. Staged at the Etcetera Theatre as part of the Camden Fringe Festival, there is a strong, if sometimes inconsistent, dramatic concept that moves this beyond a simple ‘for’ and ‘against’ essay but could develop the sisters to make them feel more rounded.
In 2019, on the cusp of revolution, sisters Yara and Mina are hopeful that this time Lebanon will change, resulting in a better, more equitable society for everyone. But after months of protest and increased government attacks against its own people, their movement seems as likely to fail as all the others. As the sisters make their choices about what to do next, the war itself intervenes in their lives.
Staged as a tribute to the 200 people who died in an explosion at the dock in August 2020, the names of the dead are projected onto the wall of the theatre at the end of the show, a silent condemnation of the government that allowed it to happen. Chammas’ play is divided down the middle, not on whether this act was justified but on whether the place that the characters love is worth saving, playing out the arguments for and against, establishing a historic context of civilian protest and wondering whether the world outside would be any better.
“I don’t want my entire life to be politics,” Mina argues as she spells out daily concerns about failing utility supplies and food availability while her sister sees salvation in holding on, their activist presence in the country enough; “Our connection to land and nature is resistance,” Yara claims.
Chammas plays both roles, showing the same scene from the perspective of each sister in a neat piece of staging that reveals new depths about their lives and contrasting attitudes. But the structural approach is inconsistent. In one early scene, Yara addresses the audience directly but never does so again; there are scenes of dialogue between the siblings and later, Yara speaks to her sister as though reading a letter. Establishing a more consistent way for Yara to deliver her inner monologue and narrate the show would clarify how the viewer is asked to respond at different times.
Maybe Tomorrow creates an immersive feel with sound effects taken from protests and street noise that play nicely against the activities that Yara describes like they’re unfolding in the moment. And there is a good sense of how a once happy country quickly became embroiled in conflict that led to deprivation. Chammas also gives both sisters distinction in the performance, but while the description of what is happening to them is insightful, neither sister is a fully formed character; we learn too little about their lives and personalities beyond their changing feelings for country to properly appreciate the impact of loss.
But as a question about country and our changing relationship to places that increasingly disappoint, there’s much to appreciate.
Reviewed on 19 August 2026
Camden Fringe 2026 runs until 30 August
