Between Heaven and Earth is the latest production by KITE Theater and marks another original play by its founder and artistic director, Zien Rashad. Written, directed, and set-designed by Rashad, the play had its premiere on April 11, 2025, at Dworek Białoprądnicki Cultural Centre in Kraków, Poland.

Continuing Rashad’s distinctive approach to minimalist yet psychologically charged theatre, the play unfolds entirely within the confines of a broken elevator, where four strangers—a lawyer, a woman, and two soldiers—find themselves trapped. As tension rises, a mysterious unseen voice begins interrogating them, suggesting their involvement in war crimes. Scenes alternate between the suffocating stillness of the elevator and stark interrogations that strip the characters down to moral essence, forcing the audience to grapple with themes of guilt, complicity, memory, justice, revenge, and the grey zones of war ethics.

Musically underscored by Josué Mastroianni, and brought to life through a raw ensemble performance by Zien Rashad, Hanna Olejniczak, Tomasz Okarmus, Tomasz Katra, and Mieszko Syc, the 60-minute play blends visual austerity with emotional intensity. Technical design was handled by Ben Lewandowski and Salvatore Allotta, with Monika Hess-Rashad managing costumes and stage operations.

Following its Kraków premiere, Between Heaven and Earth was performed as the honorary opening performance at the second edition of SITFY Poland. The inclusion of the play as the festival’s curtain-raiser reflects not only its artistic resonance but also Zien Rashad’s active role SITFY Poland’s co-founder.

This work furthers Rashad’s ongoing examination of human rights, post-conflict trauma, and individual responsibility, solidifying KITE’s status as a platform for urgent, socially engaged international theatre.

Premiere announcements: Magiczny Kraków, Karnet Kraków, Teatr dla wszystkich 

Mind Prey is a compelling, English-language stage piece by KITE Theater—conceived and led by Zien Rashad—with visually arresting scenography, layered music, and filmed sequences. It premiered in November 2023 at Teatr KTO, then traveled to Tunisia’s Carthage Festival in December, and to Alexandria, Egypt in September 2024. The play also returned to Kraków for a local performance at a Dworek Białoprądnicki Cultural Center in mid-September 2024.

Synopsis: 

A horrific crime has been committed.

A wife and a mother ripped from this world. One person stands accused, Adam, her seemingly devoted husband. The man’s a mystery, difficult to understand, confusing in his testimony, out of touch with the dreadful circumstances he’s found himself in.

Join us in exploring the painful process of coming to terms with reality and the places our minds will go to try and avoid it. Though this play explores heavy topics affecting the human condition, it is a charming mix of abstract bursts of comedy, drama, and action.

Go back in time through the story with us and decide: is Adam guilty? Or are things not quite as they seem?

Written and directed by Zien Rashad, "Mind Prey" features scenography and costumes by Zien Rashad and Monika Hess-Rashad, with music by Natan Trętko. The cast includes Zien Rashad as Adam, Mieszko Syc as John, Hania Olejniczak as Marilyn, and Tomasz Katra in multiple roles (Therapist, Judge, Barman, Priest). The play runs 75 minutes, in English, and is a tragicomedy.