Theatre Passe Muraille is excited to present the world premiere of UNCIVILIZED, a searing and funny play by Ahmad Meree, onstage October 13 to 24, 2026. Utilizing a camera, mixed media, and sharp wit, Meree puts citizenship itself in the hot seat by interrogating belonging, identity, and the exhausting performance of assimilation. At its core, the play asks who gets to define what it means to be “civilized,” and what is lost when belonging depends on meeting that definition. UNCIVILIZED traces the journey from leaving home to becoming a refugee, and then a citizen, by questioning what identity really is.

UNCIVILIZED is written and performed by Dora Nominee Ahmad Meree and is making its world premiere in this co-production between Theatre Passe Muraille and 7Spices Theatre. The play draws from Meree's experiences of coming to Canada as a refugee from Aleppo, Syria, in 2016. The show turns the interrogation room into a stage, putting the machinery of citizenship on trial in front of a live audience.

“What does it mean to be civilized? Who is civilized, and according to whom? And what does it mean to be uncivilized, also according to whom? Come explore these questions with me,” says Ahmad Meree, Playwright and performer in UNCIVILIZED.

Meree's acclaimed play Adrenaline earned a 2020 Dora nomination for Outstanding Touring Production and went on to tour internationally, including stops in Egypt, Syria and Sri Lanka. Nationally, this production toured the National Arts Centre, SummerWorks, and UNO Fest, and was presented at Theatre Passe Muraille in 2020. With UNCIVILIZED, Meree returns to interrogate a different chapter of the refugee experience: not the danger left behind, but the bureaucracy of proving you belong in what comes after.

Trained at the Higher Institute of Theatre Arts in Cairo, Meree built a career as an award-winning actor, playwright, and director across Syria and Egypt before coming to Canada. Now based in Toronto, he continues to work internationally as a performer, playwright, and producer, with previous works including I Don't Know, Suitcase and Adrenaline. In UNCIVILIZED, Meree brings that full body of experience to bear on a single, unrelenting question, interrogating not just one man, but the system that demands he justify his existence.

“It's wonderful to welcome Ahmad back to Theatre Passe Muraille with his new work. In UNCIVILIZED, Ahmad turns his acute attention to both the absurdities and frustrations of the immigration process with theatrical humour and reflection. Bold, and personal, this new work is sure to resonate with anyone navigating a flawed and imperfect bureaucracy and also enlighten those not familiar with the process,” says Marjorie Chan, Artistic Director at Theatre Passe Muraille.

SHOW INFORMATION:

Previews: October 13, 14, 15, 2026

Opening: October 16, 2026

Closing: October 24, 2026

Venue: Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace, 16 Ryerson Ave, Toronto

Running Time: 60 minutes (no intermission)

Tickets: $20 | $45 | $70

ACCESSIBILITY & SPECIAL PERFORMANCE:

Captioned performances (English & Arabic): Sunday, October 18th, 2 pm, and Saturday, October 24th, 7:30 pm.

Masked Mandatory Performance: October 21, 7:30 pm.

Content warnings: Mentions of war, swearing and racism.

For tickets visit www.passemuraille.ca.

Photo: Ahmad Meree © 2026 Only1AndyWright.