This summer I made my directing debut at the Montreal Fringe with **_Kill’em With Kindness_**, a fast-moving collaboration that brought together activism, devised performance, and a tight team willing to wear many hats.
The project began with writer-producer-lead actor Misha Nye, and grew into a small ensemble featuring Majdi Batal-Hunter (actor) and Raphaél Behar (co-producer). We staged the show for seven nights over two weeks at Aux Angles Ronds on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, and sold out most of the nights throughout the run.
Building the piece
Because the text evolved in rehearsal, the process felt closer to devised theatre than a traditional production. I leaned into my own aesthetics, shaping a circular stage layout and handling scene, costume, lighting, and even videography, to keep the world of the piece cohesive while the script found its final form. That constraint-as-catalyst energy fit the Fringe spirit perfectly: minimal time, minimal budget, maximum invention.
What we explored
At its core, _Kill’em With Kindness_ wrestled with activism, how we carry it, perform it, and get changed by it. The circular staging invited audiences into that loop, asking them to witness the feedback between intention and impact. For many of us, it was our first time creating a work like this in Montreal (Majdi was the exception), which made the experiment feel both vulnerable and necessary.
Reception & recognition
The response was generous. We “made it”. The room was full most nights, and the conversation after each performance kept spilling into the street. We closed the festival celebrating a Frankie Award for Best Emerging Producers awarded to Raphael and Misha(a huge nod to the collaborative engine behind the show.)
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Credits
- **Director:** Syd Hamidreza Hosseini
- **Writer / Producer:** _Misha Nye_
- **Actors:** _Misha Nye, Majdi Batal-Hunter_
- **Festival:** _Montreal Fringe_
- **Award:** _Frankie Award – Best Emerging Producers