In their suburban Canadian home, Sue and Emir's marriage is a battlefield of bitterness and constant bickering. Their past as Muslims living in Sarajevo haunts them, with flourishing careers lost to war and genocide. But, proud of their life in Canada, they choose to leave these painful memories behind them. When a birthday celebration brings their three daughters home again after eight years, bombshell after revealing bombshell is dropped, and an epic clash of wills erupts, awakening the family's darkest secrets.
Blissful State of Surrender is a poignant dramatic comedy that delves into the lives of a Bosnian Canadian family grappling with trauma, social-class limbo, and intergenerational differences, challenging Canada's self-image as a haven for refugees and revealing how internalized oppression breeds lateral violence. For immigrants fleeing the horrors of genocide, even the act of remembering can be dangerous, yet the cycle of violence can only be broken when the truth is finally set free.
• Originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sanita fled the Siege of Sarajevo and the genocide of her Bosniak people at the age of seven, living as a refugee, illegal immigrant, and "temporary guest" across three countries before seeking permanent refuge in Canada.
• Sanita articulated an artistic movement she calls Peasant Futurisms while completing her Ph.D. in Cultural Studies at Queen's University. Peasant Futurisms expresses peasant perspectives of the future, past, and present through organic subsistence farming, local gift and cyclical economies, and collaborative labour models.
• The child of Bosniak peasants, Sanita is interested in healing people and the planet through peasant subsistence farming, permaculture gardening, agro-ecology, and organic regenerative agriculture (conservation and rehabilitation approaches to growing food).
• Blissful State of Surrender was first produced by the Great Canadian Theatre Company, Ottawa, from February 22 to March 6, 2022.
Sue and Emir's marriage is haunted by their past in Sarajevo, feeding a bitter rift in their relationship. When a birthday celebration brings their three daughters home after eight years away, life-changing news sparks an epic family clash that disrupts their promising reunion. As tensions and buried emotions bubble to the surface, will this fiery feud reveal the family's darkest secret?
This poignant dramatic comedy explores a Bosnian Canadian family's struggles with trauma, social-class limbo, and intergenerational differences while challenging Canada's self-image as a haven for refugees fleeing war and genocide.
"Blissful State of Surrender seamlessly blends drama and tragedy with comedy. It is a touching tribute to the strength and resilience of Bosnian families despite the harrowing events they have had to overcome."
"It accomplishes something rather rare in the theatre-it's a drama that tackles 'heavy' topics, but which also successfully delivers flashes of comedy and even a few bits of slapstick."
"Blissful State of Surrender not only opens your eyes to the hardships and intricacies of life as a Bosnian refugee but also proves relatable to any audience member that has a loud, passionate and somewhat dysfunctional family."
