Toz (Dust): A Woman’s Life, Remembered in Fragments: Zerrin Tekindor at Zabeel Theatre, Dubai

Some lives are not told in straight lines. They return, dissolve, reappear—like dust stirred by memory. Toz (Dust) is exactly this kind of story: intimate, fragile, and deeply human.

Starring the acclaimed Turkish actress Zerrin Tekindor, Toz is a powerful one-woman play that traces the life of Handan, a woman whose memories stretch from the 1960s to the present day. On stage alone, Tekindor carries an entire lifetime, moving between childhood, adulthood, loss, love, and quiet resilience.

The story begins in a city that no longer exists—a time “before the sky was pierced by concrete.” Handan recalls her early years as the only child of Feri, a beautiful housewife, and a meticulous lawyer father. Through her recollections, we witness the emotional architecture of a family, the weight of expectations placed on women, and the subtle ways time reshapes identity.

Rather than following a linear narrative, Toz unfolds as a journey through memory. Scenes emerge and fade like fleeting thoughts: moments of tenderness, regret, humor, and pain. The past and present coexist, revealing how childhood experiences echo throughout a woman’s life. The audience is invited not only to watch Handan’s story, but to recognize fragments of their own.

Zerrin Tekindor’s performance is restrained yet deeply expressive. With minimal staging, she transforms voice, posture, and silence into powerful storytelling tools. Every gesture feels intentional, every pause heavy with meaning. This is theatre that trusts the audience—allowing emotion to arise naturally, without spectacle.Directed by Hira Tekindor and written by Murat Mahmutyazıcıoğlu, Toz is a meditation on memory, womanhood, and the quiet erosion of time. It asks gentle but persistent questions:

What do we carry with us? What disappears?

And what remains, like dust, long after moments have passed?

For Dubai audiences, this performance at Zabeel Theatre offers a rare opportunity to experience contemporary Turkish theatre at its finest—intimate, poetic, and profoundly moving.

Event Details

📍 Where: Zabeel Theatre, Jumeirah Zabeel Saray

🗓 When: 8 February, 8:00 PM

⏱ Duration: 1 hour

🗣 Language: Turkish