Mohammed in drenched clothes, poses for a portrait after disembarking on Lesvos island. He fled the war in Syria and says he will continue towards Germany where he hopes to find a good life and treatment for his diabetes.
When: 30th January – 16th February 2019
Where: Tara Theatre, 356 Garratt Lane, Earlsfield, London SW18 4ES
£: Tickets cost £10 – £17.50 (Suitable for ages 13+)
What is it?
Something Underground presents Of Our Own Making, an unsettling look at why people commit atrocities and the part we all play in creating those we label ‘monsters’. Of Our Own Making will run from Wednesday 30th January to Saturday 16th February at the Tara Theatre in London.
Taking an unflinching look at the people behind the labels, this hard-hitting new play asks how responsible society is for creating the ‘monsters’ it fears. Three characters flee the shores of Libya, each on their own personal journey; whilst a tabloid reporter awaits them on the beaches of Greece, seeking stories to fit a cynical narrative about the Syrian refugee crisis. Of Our Own Making examines our judgement of perpetrators in light of complex circumstances.
Saif is a man escaping atrocities that he was forced to commit. Amira is travelling across the Mediterranean with her friend Hussan to find a better life for her baby. Parsifal is a lost and lonely boy, neglected in real life and vulnerable online to those who would groom and exploit him. As Parsifal becomes more radicalised, Saif starts to reclaim himself, and Micky, an undercover tabloid reporter, finds the scoop she’s looking for to be more affecting than she’d anticipated.
Against the background of the Chilcot enquiry, the questions around the Iraq war, and the demonisation of immigrants, the meetings of these characters are shaped by the circumstances that have altered them.
Of Our Own Making will be accompanied by free workshops for teenage boys in Wandsworth, inviting young men to devise scenes using physical theatre to explore the circumstances that can make a person vulnerable to online grooming.
The show has been developed with an international team, many of whom have personal connections with the issues in the show. Musician Dirk Campbell (Harry Potter, The Mummy) lost his daughter Anna in March 2018, ten months after she left home to fight Isis. The cast will include Natali Servat, who played the title role in Amnesty International Freedom Of Expression Award-nominated Nazanin’s Story. Natali’s parents were Iranian refugees who fled to Sweden.
More info: www.tara-arts.com and www.somethingunderground.co.uk
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