Blending theater, poetry, and music, playwright Sabrina Mahfouz has written a story that traverses 12 countries and offers a condensed history of British Imperialism and its claim on natural resources. Told through the stories of women, A History of Water in the Middle East asks who really has power in and over the Middle East, particularly as water begins to overpower oil as the world’s most valuable commodity. Dynamic and original in voice and narrative structure, the production is directed by veteran Stef O’Driscoll, who was previously the associate director at Paines Plough and the Lyric Hammersmith. —B.A.