TO MARK Refugee Week (June 19 to 25) West Yorkshire Playhouse is exploring the reality of refugee experiences through a range of performances and discussion events.
The Playhouse is nationally renowned for its pioneering work supporting refugees and asylum seekers, becoming the UK’s first ever Theatre of Sanctuary in 2014.
Its Refugee Week programme includes three plays about migration: Windows of Displacement (Tuesday, June 20 to Wednesday June 21), the premiere of the new solo show choreographed and performed by Yorkshire performer, Akeim Toussaint Buck; Scattered (Thursday, June 22) by Tim Baker, based on the original production by Theatr Clwyd, and directed by John Young, a story of friendship between two teenage boys from contrasting backgrounds;
Free to Stay (Wednesday, June 21) by Bradford-based Displace Yourself Theatre, a devised production inspired by real accounts of statelessness in the UK and overseas.
An insightful free talk for the public aimed at de-mystifying the reality of refugees’ experiences will take place on Thursday, June 22 at 5.30pm.
The week begins with a social event ‘Theatre of Sanctuary Big Get Together’,for refugees and asylum seekers (Monday, June 19) as part of the nationwide Great Get Together, inspired by the late Jo Cox. Attendees will receive a warm welcome, and are invited to share a traditional dish, music or dance from their culture.
West Yorkshire Playhouse Artistic Director James Brining said:“West Yorkshire Playhouse is a theatre that tells incredible stories, and we’re a richer cultural organisation because of the diversity of the city. We embrace and celebrate Refugee Week with performances and conversations which speak to and about the real experiences of many people who now find themselves living here. Theatre has an incredible potential to connect people from all walks of life and we hope our programme sparks conversation and thinking between all sorts of audiences whether they have just arrived or lived here all their lives.”
As a Theatre of Sanctuary, West Yorkshire Playhouse offers a range of activities to support refugees and asylum seekers, such as a dedicated women’s choir, youth and drama groups and special ticket offers.
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