As part of her ongoing post-show Q&A series, on Sunday 23 September 2018, Mates co-founder Terri Paddock chairs a discussion with Stand and Be Counted Theatre, the UK’s first Theatre Company of Sanctuary, as they bring their highly political, and deeply personal, new play Where We Began to HighTide’s Walthamstow Festival as part of a national tour. Got any questions?
‘Unusual & thought-provoking’: THE SLEEPER – The Space
Over the last few years, images of refugees fleeing their homes in search of safety in Europe have become such a common sight in our newspapers and on our TV screens that they’ve begun to lose a little of the powerful impact they once had.
‘No one coming out of this encounter is left unscathed’: THE CLAIM – Shoreditch Town Hall
The sickly, yellow lights of a featureless meeting room are making Serge thirsty. He just wants some water, to tell his story and get back home to Streatham.
THE JUNGLE – Young Vic Theatre
This new play about refugee-camp life in Calais is a gruelling docu-drama, powerful but oh so middle class!
THE SUPPLIANT WOMEN – Young Vic Theatre
David Greig’s triumphant version of Aeschylus arrives in London trailing banners of glory.
DOUBLE TROUBLE – Intermission Youth Theatre
It can be tough to get kids to engage with Shakespeare. Many of them see the foreign-sounding language and old-fashioned stories as irrelevant to the issues they battle as growing up today.
YOUNG MARX – Bridge Theatre
Brand-new London theatre from the two Nicks is wonderful, but its first show is disappointing.
WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION – London County Hall
This site-specific version is a bit of a gimmick, and while one part of me yearns for the play to be allowed to speak for itself, another just relishes the novelty of this revival’s setting. So what’s the verdict? Guilty of being a good night out.
National Student Drama Festival: The power of young people
Swallow is a stunning three hander, gender blind cast piece of theatre which tackles all of the subjects in paragraph one. It comes from the sure creative heart of Durham student theatre, in this case Piccolo Theatre directed by George Rexstrew, with knockout performances from Steph Sarratt, Annie Davison and Matt Dormer.
NEWS: Sadler’s Wells’ Requiem for Aleppo raises funds for refugees
Requiem for Aleppo, a brand new work created and conceived by composer David Cazalet with choreography by Jason Mabana, will premiere at Sadler’s Wells on Sunday 23 April 2017. The night will be introduced by BBC World Affairs editor John Simpso
Video of the Week: The Kite Runner actors respond to Donald Trump
The company of The Kite Runner have started a nightly curtain-call ritual, reading out a response to US President Donald Trump’s executive order this past week banning Syrian refugees as well as all immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Worth watching and sharing.
LOVE – National Theatre
New devised piece about poverty and temporary accommodation is extremely powerful, but also deeply flawed.
Calais Refugee Community Kitchen: Many many carrots
For the last few days I have been in France peeling and chopping, mixing and moving, driving and carrying vegetables. I have been one of the 150+ volunteers working in and around a warehouse on the outskirts of Calais. This centre of activity seeks to feed, clothe and help create shelter for the 7000+ refugees […]
CARGO – Arcola Theatre
New immersive experience tells its story of people trafficking with considerable power and imagination.
CARGO – Arcola Theatre
Civil war is raging in the formerly united, newly named Kingdom. Loyalists and rebels have divided up the charred, frightened remains. Religious fundamentalism and capital punishment are the law of the land. There are furtive rumours of a better life across the channel, and there are regular passages to Calais. Money can buy passports, or if you don’t have any of that, there are people who will help you stow away as Cargo that you can pay later. But safety isn’t a given once you’re on board.
Empathy: The relationship between theatre and the refugee crisis
Empathy is an important word in theatre. Compassion and human connection are at the forefront of what makes good theatre work, and my own starting point for any piece of theatre I may work on is ‘what does it make me feel?’ This was definitely the driving factor behind my decision to stage Tess Berry-Hart’s Cargo at the Arcola this July.
CIRCUS DIARIES: The Return by Circa
Australian company Circa arrive back on UK shores with a wash of scenes that paint a tense journey of migrancy, and the pressures that can bring to human relationships. The six acrobats (Nathan Boyle, Daniel O’Brien, Nicole Faubert, Bridie Hooper, Brittannie Portelli, Duncan West) are joined by classical musicians who play themes from Monteverdi’s opera Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria, which also appear in colder, reworked digital adaptations.