This time it was for a new play (winning an award for best new play last year|) called "Slave: A Question of Freedom". It is based on the autobiography of Mende Nazar, a 12 year old girl from the Nuba Mountains in the Sudan whose village was burned, who was sold into slavery in Khartoum, then given to a family in London, and who finally escaped after 7 or so years. You can listen to an interview with her here., or see the trailer for the play.
I have gotta say... powerful piece of theatre... it did say not for under 9 years old. Duncan is 10, so i figured it was doable. But still... a tough show to watch. ... all three of my men were outraged by the slavers in the show, and spent the whole intermission talking about strategies for hunting down and punishing the guilty! :-) Like I said, hard to watch, but it surely generated conversation!
Thanks for the link to the trailer. I watched it three times. Loved the quick shots of the theatre filling up, of the feet dancing (even got up from my computer to try some of the footwork). The mime was terrific -- i.e.being in a car with a driver. The device of carrying a teddy-bear? Was that made clear in the play. I noticed she was carrying one in the shots that were made around the interview with her. I loved the opening phrase, "my people tell stories around a warm fire", which I may have misquoted, but at least I think I captured the right image. And the beatings by a woman wearing high heels. A beauty to capture so much in a clip that is less than five minutes and leaves one with so many questions about the show.
ReplyDeleteHad one other idea when you mentioned that Duncan is only 10 and while the show was doable, it was tough to watch.
ReplyDeleteYes to Duncan's feelings.
And horrifying to think that the story is about a person only two years, abducted into a life of slavery.
What a contrast in the trajectory of young peoples' lives.