When Lujza mentioned her project at lunch, she was so passionate, determined and fascinating, all the guests were captivated. Her experience of supporting the refugees shed a new light on the current events. The personal observations and stories she shared brought the focus solely on human side of the problem, casting aside any other considerations – economic, political, social, and the fears – as secondary. And in the same spirit, she also introduced us to a project now close to her heart, the play ‘Borderline’, A Comedy About A Tragedy. I immediately put the date of the play in my diary and wondered how I could help.
So here are the details, directly taken from the sources:
- The play is co-produced by the excellent Cockpit Theatre (Gateforth Street, Marylebone NW8 8EH) where it will premiere on 2, 3 & 6 November 2016. Then you will have another chance to see it on the 5th November at The Drayton Arms (Old Brompton Rd, Kensington, London SW5 0LJ). Duration : 1 hour.
- Cast: 12 artists, i.e. an explosive mixed cast of European and Refugee performers from Syria, Afghanistan (2 unaccompanied children), France, Sudan, Chile and the UK.
- Languages: the show is both in English and the refugee’s diverse mother tongues.
- Story: a devised clown-based comedy about refugees in the Jungle.
- More than just a show, ‘Borderline’s’ creative process is a human adventure, providing a platform for expression and social integration where we learn a lot from each other!
- The Background: After a year of workshops and volunteer work in Calais, Sophie NL Besse, PSYCHEdelight’s artistic director, found among refugees a strong eagerness for humour and comedy, perhaps as an expression of their longing to escape the tragedy and the stigma they face. The idea for a comedy was born! Through poetry, clowning and humour, the company hopes to shed a new light on the refugee crisis and the (unjustifiable) fate of the unaccompanied children of Calais. There are currently 676 unaccompanied children living the Calais Jungle. 170 children have the legal right to be with their families in the UK. To this day, 10 children only have arrived in the UK under the family reunification act.
- Workshops & Training: In collaboration with Frank Würzinger, a professional clown from Hungarian and German background, the devised process involves an extensive clown training, ‘Ensemble workshops’ led by Impro practitioner Rémy Bertrand, founder of Imprology and some creative writing workshops by Sophie Besse.
Now this great project needs help. It needs funding. They already have several associations involved, but it is not enough… Would you like to get involved? If not you, do you know someone who would? Please discover more below and on their crowdfunding page: bit.ly/fundborderline
TO BOOK : bit.ly/bookborderline
CROWDFUNDING PAGE : bit.ly/fundborderline
TEASER : bit.ly/borderlineteaser
