Theatr Iolo’s latest production Warrior Square by Nick Wood aims to challenge the stereotypical attitudes regarding asylum seekers and raise issues that face young refugees.We are hearing more and more about asylum seekers and refugees in the press. Much of what we hear is not sympathetic to the plight that hundreds of people are facing. The stories of children who arrive in this country are rarely told and the fears and difficulties faced by these children are not discussed. Warrior Square tells the story of a brother and sister that is relevant to all children. However, the every day issues of this relationship are set in the wider context of having to leave one’s homeland and facing an unknown future. Drama can address key life issues in ways which are understandable for young people, in the safe environment of their schools. A reading of Warrior Square was given at the Senedd to mark Refugee Week in June. Accompanied by musicians Antony Lamb, Brian Kasiko and Gael Cubahiro, the performance was greatly appreciated by the audience which included Jane Hutt, National Assembly for Wales Minister for Assembly Business, Equalities and Children: “Few people stop and think about what it really means to have to flee your home, your friends and sometimes your family because of war, famine or persecution. But this is the reality for tens of thousands of children every year. Their suffering doesn’t always end when they arrive in a new country seeking sanctuary. “The plight of refugees and asylum seekers needs to be better understood and Theatr Iolo’s play Warrior Square is an excellent way to help young people see beyond myths and stereotypes. I hope that the play will help to generate a spirit of compassion and humanity among young people for asylum seeking and refugee children.” Warrior Square was first produced by Nottingham Playhouse and has been translated into seven languages and performed throughout Europe, winning the prestigious Brudder Grimm prize in Germany. “It’s very easy to find reasons for first resenting, then disliking, and finally hating anonymous groups of people, but I think its’ harder to hate people when you can see their faces and you know their names, when you realise that they laugh and cry at the same things as you do. Warrior Square doesn’t have a message. We ignore messages, but sometimes we do listen to stories” (Nick Wood) Public performance at: Temple of Peace, 3rd October, 7pm – followed by a discussion and debate with Mike Lewis, Director of Children in Wales and other representatives from the Welsh Refugee Council. Whitchurch High School, 12th October, 7pm |
| Theatr Iolo web site: www.theatriolo.com |
| Kerry Shelly e-mail: admin@theatriolo.com |
Wednesday, September 20, 2006 |
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