Nicole Shamoun in the kitchen setting during developmentنامي نامي يا زغيرة
A Palestinian theatre & documentary program from Bukjeh

One Last Lullaby

Keep the stories alive.
Help bring real stories from Gaza to the stage and document the journey.

Melbourne · 2027 · Month to be announced

Help make the show
By Aseel Tayah and Bukjeh’s team in Gaza
Behind the scenes during development of One Last Lullaby
Video coming soon
A message from Aseel

Help us take the next step.

After two developments, One Last Lullaby is ready for its final creative push. Your support helps bring the play to the stage and document its creation in Australia and Gaza.

A short introduction from Aseel will appear here.

Support the work →
Nicole Shamoun working with food and objects in rehearsal
One Last Lullaby · development
A note from the playwright

Approximately 90 minutes · For a broad public audience
English in Australia · Arabic in Egypt and Palestine  

I write so they survive in our memories.

“People tell Palestinian mothers we are strong and brave. But those words do not make pregnancy, fear and loss easier to carry.

I bring my own life into this work, alongside real stories shared with permission by people in Gaza. I want audiences to meet the people inside those stories and carry that care beyond the theatre.”

Aseel Tayah · writer and co-director

“She is brave is a word people use when they want you to continue suffering quietly.”
I want to be safe.”Amal · from the working script
Responses to One Last Lullaby

What industry people say..  

One Last Lullaby was a powerful reminder of the human ...

Cinthya Nolan

Arts Centre Melbourne

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One Last Lullaby was a powerful reminder of the human cost of conflict and the devastating consequences borne by families and communities. The stories laid bare not only loss, but resilience, fracture, and the quiet endurance required to survive. The tenor of these voices lingered with me long after I left the theatre and I have continued to reflect on this harsh reality. The work is important, critically so.

One Last Lullaby is a profound experience.

Kath Papas

Independent producer & Performing Lines

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One Last Lullaby is a profound experience. Experiencing it at the creative development showing in 2025, I was reminded of the power of storytelling and song in an intimate space to evoke the experience of others. Sharing the words and songs of Palestinian people, Aseel and her collaborators are cutting straight to the core of what performance is and how much it can make us feel as an audience. There could not be a more urgent work in 2026 in a world rife with oppression, conflict and loss, and where honest discussion of the true impacts of Western imperialism is still difficult. I hope this work can be realised and shared widely.

I really loved the script and the music

Steph Urruty

Creative Program Manager · she/her

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I really loved the script and the music – such important stories to tell – and I really liked the subtle but effective and moving way the stories were told. The work will stay with me forever. I hope that you not only get to premiere it at Arts House but it needs to be seen on so many stages and by as many people as possible.

What your donation funds · now to December 2027

A production on stage.
A film that lasts.  

Most of the script is ready. Key creative collaborators are confirmed. The next step is final development and bringing the work to audiences, alongside a documentary of its creation.

Pay the people

Actors, artists and creative contributors in Gaza and Australia, with music and creative collaboration across Egypt.    

Bring the play to the stage

Final script development, rehearsals, community gatherings, theatre design, music, technical production and coordination through the end of 2027, towards presentation in Melbourne in 2027.

Make the documentary

Continue filming in Australia and Gaza, and support the editing and completion of a documentary following the making of the work.

We are raising A$150,000 to support the theatre production and documentary, including paid creative work, travel, translation, access and contingency.  

What your donation can do

Choose a gift.
See what it can support.

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Food and storytelling during development of One Last Lullaby
One Last Lullaby · In development

A$5

Put something in the pot.

Help buy the ingredients we cook with in rehearsals.

Make a gift →

Choose your final amount in the donation form.

All amounts are in Australian dollars. These examples illustrate the work your gift can support. Donations are pooled and allocated across the program’s needs; they are not restricted to an individual activity.

Development journey · 2024–2027

Built over years. Ready for the next step.

From community conversations to script development, readings and rehearsals, this work has grown through relationships across places.

Explore the development timeline

  1. 2024 · CultureLAB & community foundations

    Early development through Arts House CultureLAB, laying the foundations for the work.

    Development support: Arts House CultureLAB.

  2. 2025 · First development & industry sharing

    Between April and July, community engagement and workshops in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne brought together the general public, refugees and people seeking asylum. Regional collaborations included First Nations communities in Bunbury and Wollongong. First development activity at Arts House in April and July led to an industry showcase on 3 July 2025, followed by further script work.

  3. 2026 · Readings & second development

    Readings in Dubai, Jeddah, Norway, Melbourne and Sydney. A second development at Arts House in July, with Emma Valentin joining as co-director.

    The first development and community engagement projects were supported by Creative Australia.

  4. 2027 · Final development & presentation

    Final development and presentation in Melbourne in 2027. The month and further Australian presentation partners will be announced later.

The documentary

Following the work.
Holding the process.

Filming has already begun during the creation of One Last Lullaby. We are raising funds to continue documenting the work in Australia and Gaza, following the people and collaboration behind the production.

Directed by Aseel Tayah. Filmed by Jason Cheetham, Waqaar Ali and collaborators on the ground in Gaza.   

Mahmoud Hamda Award winning photographer & Film maker Gaza  

Inside the development

Behind the scenes during development
Documenting the creative process · Development archive

Swipe to explore our development photographs.

Production & international relationships

Connected across places.

Aseel leads the program from Dubai, working with the production team and performer in Australia and creative partners across Palestine, Egypt and Norway.  

Australia

Melbourne · 2027
Presentation in Melbourne in 2027; month and venue announcement to follow. Further Australian presentation partners will be announced when confirmed.

Gaza & the West Bank

Shadows Theatre Group / Shadows Art · Gaza
On-the-ground creative partnership.

Sharara Theatre · Toul Karem, West Bank
Creative partnership.  

Egypt  

Collaboration with Ali Muhanna across Egypt, with Marwan Khater contributing music and musical design from Egypt.  

Norway

Nordic Black Theatre
Partner willing to present the work. Dates, scope and funding are still to be agreed.

The international presentation ambition

Our ambition is to connect presentations across different cities in the same period. This is a future plan: simultaneous productions, international dates and individual presentation arrangements are not yet confirmed.

The people behind the work

Made across places, together.

Meet the artists and collaborators

Nicole Shamoun

Nicole Chamoun is an award-winning Australian actress widely known for her leading roles in major Australian television dramas, including her performance as Amanda Pharrell in the crime drama series Troppo and her critically acclaimed turn as Zahra Al-Biyati in Safe Harbour.

Emma Valentin

Emma Valente is a Melbourne-based freelance director, dramaturg, lighting designer, and video/sound designer. She is best known as the Co-Artistic Director and Co-CEO of the acclaimed feminist experimental theatre company, THE RABBLE, which she co-founded with Kate Davis in 2006

Aseel Tayah

Aseel Tayah is an award-winning Palestinian-Australian multidisciplinary artist, creative producer, storyteller, and advocate for human rights

Toby Sullivan

Toby Sullivan is a theatrical producer who has produced and consulted for some of Australia's largest live production houses and highest profile Festivals

Bella Waru

Bella Waru is a takatāpui Oceanic movement artist, musician, choreographer, and creative director of Ngāti Tukorehe, Taranaki Tūturu, and Celtic heritage. Born to jazz musician parents, they were raised on Yuin country (south-coast New South Wales) and are currently based on unceded Wurundjeri/Kulin lands in Naarm (Melbourne, Australia).

Thara Brown

Thara Brown is a proud Koori woman of Yorta Yorta and Maltese-Anglo heritage who works as a professional dancer, secondary teacher, youth program manager, and cultural advocate

Marwan Khater

Marwan Khater is a professional oud player and music composer with over 11 years of experience in the art and music field. He studied Aeronautical Engineering and has composed numerous musical pieces, as well as soundtracks for cinematic and theatrical productions.

Haneen Choir

Songs and shared voices.

Wala Connections

WALA Connection is a First Nations-led creative collective bringing together artists, performers and cultural knowledge holders to celebrate culture, Country and community through storytelling, movement and artistic expression.

In Gaza: Hanaa Alghol, Yafa Abu Akar, Waed Abu Zaher, Khaled Jumaa and Malek Shinbary.

Wider collaborators: Roslyn Oades (dramaturgy); Vahideh, Waqaar Ali (film); Jason Cheetham and Waqaar Ali (documentary).  

Discover previous work from Bukjeh

A’amar

Palestinian culinary theatre, carrying stories through food and family recipes.

Hakaya of Home

Storytelling, community and belonging.

Tahlila 

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Talk to Bukjeh
How can I follow the work or ask about my donation?

Follow the project through Bukjeh’s website and newsletter. See how to stay connected. For donation enquiries or questions about receipts, contact info@bukjeh.org. Contributors’ stories are shared with permission, care and compensation for their time.

Stay connected

Follow the work as it grows.

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Art is our resistance.

The more we tell the stories, the more we are alive.

Keep the stories alive · Donate
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