Immigration has always been a topic that has caused controversy and mixed attitudes globally. Taking this into consideration, it was decided as a company that it was a topic that we wanted to tackle and perform as the debut show for ‘Breaking Stories Theatre Company’ Ideas presented in the media surrounding immigration are often fabricated with crucial information left out, resulting in a biased outlook. Our theatre company’s aim is to take this hard hitting topic and showcase it through the eyes of the people who immigration affects the most. This type of theatre is known as documentary or political theatre whereby performances are created to address events of topics that affect society and aim to encourage social change.

‘Matrix Theatre Company’ based in Detroit, performed and created a play called Vanished, by which the story unfolded through the experiences of the playwright Laura Sevez’s close family and friends. The father of Perez’s friend, the family’s main provider was deported as an undocumented leaving the mother left to fend for the family without a penny to her name. Perez states herself that, “you can start your day as a family , and that afternoon your parents are gone and you’re forced to fend for yourself.” (Perez, 2010) The actors had all been affected in someway by immigration, leaving their performance believable and true. As with most political performances addressing the topic of immigration, ‘Matrix Theatre Company’ used minimal set design and simple lighting in order to let the raw acting do the talking. This company is what influenced us to have a minimalist approach to set design.

A Picture from Vanished (Matrix Theatre Company, 2010)

As well as playwrights using drama to illustrate immigration, the use of dance and movement has also been used to show the struggles faced by people who flee their native countries in search for a better life. Protein Dance Company performed a show Border Tales, directed by Luca Silvestrini, whereby they look at multicutural lifestyles in thr UK as seen through the eyes of the characters using dance, dialogue and live music as the catalysts for the performance. This company deals with how we perceive ourselves as well as others and ‘Silvestrini turns his sharply satirical hand gaze to stereotypical thinking , tolerance and where lines are drawn between ‘them’ and ‘us” (Judy Lipsy, 2013) Although incororating a vary of stereotypes into his production, the decision was not warmly receieved by everyone as Neil Norman states that, “the work is far too generalised and employs to many stereotypes to make a lasting impact.” (Norman, 2014) I agree with Norman as after watching extracts of this performance it was hard to differentiate between the different characters and their varying struggles. After researching into this company, I realised that in order to make a bold impact on an audience, the plight and struggle of one person would be more beneficial for us as a company to portray, hence the decision to adapt the play The Bogus Woman by Kay Adshead.

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited:

Lipsy, Judy (2013) Protein Dance Comapany, [online] www.proteindance.co.uk

Norman, Neil (2014) ‘Border Tales’ The Stage Review [online] www.thestage.co.uk/reviews

Perez, Laura (2013) Matrix Theatre Company, [online] www.matrixtheatre.blogspot.uk