STARTTS and PYT Fairfield Present
Hayat Amina
(Safe Life)
Mariam and Naji’s marriage began with every ounce of hope you’d expect from a young couple in love. But as the wedding celebrations fade and real life settles in, cracks begin to show. They both want to know how to make it work, with Naji leaning on his best friend, Adam.
Elsewhere, under a different kind of pressure, Yousera, a teenage girl new to Australia, is doing everything she can to stay afloat.
As their paths slowly intertwine, Mariam and Yousera begin to see their own stories reflected in one another, while Naji and Adam confront their inner expectations and learn what it truly means to be respected men for their families and future.
Hayat Amina is an honest story about love, relationships, and hope for our families’ prosperity.
Created by Charnel Rizk, Hasiba Ebrahimi, Daniel Mehareb, with Bina Bhattacharya, Jacqueline Hornjik, Gabriela Green Olea and Daisy Montalvo.
Supported by Belinda Green and Yiorgo Yiannopoulos
Directed by Bina Bhattacharya
Cast
Daniel Mehareb as Naji,
Charnel Rizk as Mariam,
Antony Makhlouf as Adam,
Helen Guliana as Aunty Aziza,
Hasiba Ebrahimi as Yousera and Amina
Sound Design Tala Issaoui
Lighting Design Elyse Drenth
Costume/Set/Prop Design Adelash Parsons
Choreography Gabriela Green Olea
Production Management Josh O’Connor
Stage Manager Pahola Zepeda
Script Coordination Jacqueline Hornjik
Custodians of Care Daisy Montalvo and Yiorgo Yiannopoulos
Ages
14+
Contains mature themes
Duration
60 minutes
Presentation History
26-27 September 2025
Photo credit – Anna Kucera
“Hayat Amina (the performance) was created in response to Hayat Amina (the program), a groundbreaking initiative by STARTTS that is creating safe spaces for open dialogue on preventing and responding to sexual violence within multilingual and diverse Arabic-speaking communities from refugee backgrounds in Southwest and Western Sydney.”
