Spring is coming!

[Sahand Sahebdivani]

Hey you!

Did you notice that some of your favorite storytellers and hosts of the Mezrab nights are killing it with their solo shows? It's something we are proud of, this artform growing and shining on theater stages and in festivals. Of course, none of this is possible without you coming to see the variety of pieces that are now being made. So, what I will do is, after mentioning the events of the Mez, I will point you to a few shows you might want to scribble down in your planner.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) we are back with Mythos. It's the night in which we abandon the naval gazing, the personal dilemmas. We go to the old and the ancient (to realize people were always really people). 

Thursday we have a solo show by Raffi Feghali. He's a storyteller and improvisor, and one of our hosts! As a Lebanese artist he's also deeply covered in the ancient stories of the 1001 nights. So what did he do? He made a fully improvised show in the ancient tradition of the 1001 nights. Now, who improvises ancient stories? Not Raffi, but his storytelling alter ego Halim Al-Hakawati (the Storyteller!). He will entice you and maybe somewhat abuse his musician and light technician. Come and see what the fuss is about with this show that was sold out during the Amsterdam Storytelling Festival! Tickets and info here.

On Saturday we bring you a FREE music night with two massive bands playing their hearts out! I recently met a journalist who told me Mezrab is one of the few places that isn't obsessed with grabbing your money. It's true. We usually ask for tickets to pay the performers, but sometimes we meet groups like De Fanfare van de eerste liefdesnacht and the Storytellers Streetband who go back to their busking roots by letting you in for free, but are very happy for a donation in the hat. Wow! Look here.

Now that we are in a music mood, can I already entice you to buy tickets for the Nasin Quartet? The will fuse Armenian, Kurdish and Turkish music in this Magic Carpet music session. Have a listen (and grab them tix) here. Concert takes place on Thursday March 20, the first day of Spring, and Persian/Kurdish new year!

Finally I want you to listen to a very special episode we made for the Mezrab Podcast. Mezrab Storytelling School co-founder (and regular host!) Raphael goes on the podcast to tell an ancient story, our amazing Armenian singer Mary answers the story with a lullaby from her culture. Raphael tells us why we need to stay connected in keep diving into the ancient stories. Do yourself a favor, have a listen and spread the link far and wide. You can find it on various podcast platforms, including this one.

That's it for now, hope to see you at the events!

Sahand & Team

www.mezrab.nl

So I promised you a list of places we are doing longer shows, look at what the Amsterdam Theater Bellevue has booked in the next few weeks:

April 3 / Raphael Rodan (storytelling) and Mary Aygetsy (Singing) team up with violin virtuoso Emmy Storms for the premiere of their heartbreaking show The Way Home.

April 20 / Aryeh Hasfari plays My Phantom Limb, the tragic and poignant show on life before and after October 7. 

April 22 / Danni Cullen closed the last edition of the Amsterdam Storytelling Festival with the first version of this show. She's now back in Bellevue with We All Fall!

April 24 / Soula Notos is playing her solo Gurbet - or how I became rich (in Dutch!)

April 25 / Meysam Forooz and myself play the show we made for last year's Fringe Festival. A family tragedy meets a murder mystery. Come see the Chord.