I knew that Dasha would not be with us today, as she had sent me a message to say so, but everyone else was there, and we were able to work our way through most of the elements of the script that did not involve her.
There was much to be pleased with. We were able run the first couple of minutes of “Godot”, which Ali, Hamed and Abdulaziz were able to manage without scripts. I was especially delighted that Ali was not fazed by his words – this is most encouraging. Plus the short scenes between Hamed and Aisha, in which she is a Job Centre official and he an increasingly frustrated asylum-seeker were also played very nicely.
It remains the case, however, that we are an actor short. We have decided to try to find a way to include Sherwan, so that in particular he can play the Doctor in one scene – we have simply run out of actors otherwise.
So this was encouraging. Arrangements are progressing now for our joint performance with Compass Collective, an organisation which arranges performance classes for young unaccompanied asylum-seekers. This will be taking place in Hillingdon on April 6th, at the Beck Theatre – a wonderful opportunity for our group.
Of course, as luck would have it, it would clash with my trip to Spain, but Val has made some vital re-arrangements, so I will be able to return in time. So it is important, from several points of view, that this turns out to be a success.
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