'In the ruins of a circus tent, a troupe of actors gather to tell the story of an asylum seekers journey to a new country. Based on the multi-award winning picture book by Australian illustrator Shaun Tan, The Arrival is a new, large-scale theatrical work from acclaimed independent company Mutation Theatre. The Arrival tells the story of a man who travels from his oppressive homeland, leaving his wife and child behind, to find a new life for them in a far away country. It is a captivating and heartfelt tale about the journey of an asylum seeker, and the challenges they face after arriving in a new country.
(...more)'Imagine if your destiny was to abandon your country, many of your family, all that was precious, in order to save your life and the lives of those you love.
Elections have been fought over them, the newspapers are full them. We know them by their labels - asylum seekers, detainees, and queue jumpers. We know of their attempts to gain our attention - suicides, hunger strikes, breakouts. But what do we know of their humanity, the situations they have fled or the ordeals they continue to endure?Some Australians have reached out and made contact by writing to detainees.
(...more)Expanded from a short play written in 2008 and produced at St Kilda's Theatre Works as part of Caution: Girls at Work!
Author's note: On visiting Woomera Detention Centre on Mother's Day
Dramatic monologue recounting the life of Ethiopian-Australian former refugee Assefa Bekele.
(...more)An educated girl from a prosperous family in Iraq finds her world turned upside down by circumstances arising from the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein. With her young husband she flees first to Iran, then Turkey, experiencing the humiliation, discomfort and powerlessness of being a refugee. Ibtihal gives birth to a baby boy, lives in a tiny hut with no electricity or running water, tries to protect her baby from hungry rats, and attempts again and again to get approval from the UN to migrate. After years of hardship and persistence, Ibtihal and her small family arrive in Australia, where her youthful ambition leads her to study and later teach art as therapy for trauma. The book includes photos of the author’s story and art work.
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'Scene A small room with a mattress in one corner. There is a dirty bed sheet on the mattress. The whole atmosphere is lit by a blue fluorescent light, covered in the ceiling by a cage. Suddenly the door of the room, which is located in the back, will open and a MAN will be thrown in. He tries to stand up, but he feels pain in his stomach, so he bends and tries to bear it.'
Source: Opening scene, from Southerly republication.
(...more)This play is a collection of interviews with refugees in Australian detention centres which were recorded by Michael Gurr.
First line: Behind the iron bars
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